Residents at care home treated to a show of stars

BY day, father-of-two Jeff Denton is activities co-ordinator at a care home.
By night, he is Freddie Mercury, Amy Winehouse, Ozzy Osbourne – and a host of other stars, in one of Oxfordshire’s fastest, most frantic and crazily entertaining music acts.
“It is pretty manic,” explained Mr Denton, who works at Mayott House in Abingdon.
“I impersonate about 30 people, but I only have about 20 seconds to change between acts, so it is extremely fast moving.”
Mr Denton’s series of super quick changes see him transform from the George Michael to Lady Gaga and even Elvis in sequinned jumpsuit – each with props – including residents’ walking sticks for microphone stands.
A favourite at charity events, he has raised money for the Kingfisher Special School in Abingdon and Oxfordshire Multiple Sclerosis Society.
He added: “Amy Winehouse wears a vest, so swapping to Freddie Mercury simply means whipping on some trousers, a moustache and grabbing another prop.
“Others are more complica-ted, but I have managed to change pretty quickly and seamlessly and when I reappear as someone else a few seconds later people often gasp.”
That’s not the only shock the audience gets.
He explained: “I invite people on stage and get them dressed up too. Most people love it. It’s a very meticulously put together act, but it’s also spontaneous, I like to react to the kind of aud-ience and adapt it to what I think they will enjoy.
“If I’m doing Michael Jackson in Thriller I’ll throw monster masks into the audience for them to wear. But they can also find themselves on stage dressed as the Village People!”
Mr Denton, 42, grew up in Eynsham and has been an entertainer since he was a child.
He and his brothers Jon, 31, a drummer, and Jem, 38, a bass player, inherited their talent from dad Gerry, 69, who sometimes performs as a singer alongside Jeff.
Now living in Witney, with his wife Claire, 40 and their sons Oliver, 11 and Jack, three, Mr Denton launched his solo act eight years ago.
While his act seems a far cry from his day job as a care worker, he says his passion for entertaining helps bring his residents, some of whom have dementia, out of their shells.
He said: “In my job you have to be ‘up’ all the time and empathise with people. I like to think I make the residents happy.”
Mayott House resident Janet Bennett, 94, said: “I enjoy Jeff’s entertainment. He makes sure we have fun. He’s a very important part of this place.”
Source http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/