REVIEW: Eddie '˜The Eagle' Edwards at The Kings Theatre, Southsea
'˜The first thing you have to understand about ski jumping,' Eddie tells a small but intimate audience, '˜is that most normal people don't do it.'
And he is correct - Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards is not a normal person.
Normal people don’t ski-jump over buses, accidently become a Finnish popstar or an Olympic athlete on a shoestring budget. But in ‘Try Hard’ he explains just how he achieved those extraordinary feats.
Lighting issues kept Eddie’s face in darkness for the first 15 minutes, but frustrations quickly dissipated once his infectious grin became visible.
Using archive photos, a pair of skis and an original ski boot as visual aids, Eddie talks about his journey as a promising 13-year-old downhill skier to unlikely Olympic athlete at the ’88 Calgary winter games. a man passionate about his achievements yet always incredibly humble.
During the interval Eddie provided and signed quality prints (a nice touch), and happily posed for pictures. ‘Try Hard’ is uplifting, inspirational, and impossible to leave without smiling.
Rob Scammell