Piano Men combines the back catalogues of two megastars - Elton John and Billy Joel - for an unashamedly nostalgic celebration of the songs, the headlines, the TV shows and even the toys of the Seventies.

"It's not just a tribute to Billy and Elton, but a trip back to the Seventies,"

says the show's creator and star, Jim Witter. "We do all their hits from the era and we have a giant screen behind us during the show which flashes interesting facts and bits of news from that decade. I can pretty much guarantee everyone is going to know every song we play."

A star in his own right in his native Canada, Witter also enjoyed success in the American country charts, before coming up with the concept for The Piano Men back in 2001. He cites Joel as the inspiration for his own musical career.

"I was both a child and a teenager in the Seventies, so that's when my musical tastes began to develop," he explains. "I think I was about 11 years old when one of my brothers said, I have an extra ticket to see this concert tonight. The guy's name is Billy Joel, do you wanna go?'.

"And I remember very distinctly coming away from that show thinking, That's what I wanna do'. The very next day I asked my mother if she would teach me some chords on the piano."

The Piano Men has taken North America by storm, but this UK tour is the first time it has ventured overseas.

The show's journey across the Atlantic has necessitated some alterations to the sections about the decade's toys and television shows. It seems space hoppers and Raleigh Choppers never made it big in the States, although KerPlunk apparently remains a universal touchstone in the West.

"We also look back at the TV shows by playing their theme tunes," he says.

"There is some common ground there.

The Monkees, The Partridge Family and the Beverly Hillbillies all made it across the pond. That's a fun part of the show, it just turns into one giant singalong."

After some first night jitters, The Piano Men seems to have translated perfectly.

"We started last week in Birmingham and I was very, very nervous that night because you just wonder, Are people going to get this?' But so far the audiences have been fantastic."

Witter finds the toughest aspect of the show is deciding which songs to leave out. It was an exceptionally productive period for Elton in particular, with him regularly releasing two multi million-selling albums a year.

"There are so many hits to pick from, especially from Elton's songbook. I think that was when he was really in his stride," Witter admits. "What I didn't know until recently is that he wrote the entire Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in two days. That's just extraordinary."

Although Witter doesn't attempt to imitate the stars' vocal styles, his band have remained faithful to the original songs' arrangements. While the mood is upbeat, he has taken care to include the occasional moment of reflection.

"When we do Candle In The Wind we look back and we remember the great people who passed away in the Seventies,' he says. "That's a little emotional but for the most part, we just want people to remember the good times and have some laughs."

There are plans to take the show to Germany, Ireland and Japan next year and Witter wants to return to the UK soon.

"We're hoping it turns into an annual thing, so we can come back here at this time of year when the weather's just beautiful," he smiles.

But he is yet to receive any feedback from either of his idol. "No - and if they were in the audience, I wouldn't want to know about it."

  • Wednesday, Thursday and Friday show starts at 7.45pm, on Saturday 8.30pm. Tickets cost £11 to £22. Call 0870 060 6650