#edfringe2016: Katie Brennan's Quarter-Life Crisis ★★★★

 Jimmy Jewell and Stephen McGill present Katie Brennan's Quarter-life Crisis at the Underbelly – George Square that has toured around the Fringe scene and settled in Edinburgh for the last three weeks. What’s a quarter-life crisis anyway? I had to think about it because I know what a mid-life crisis is. It means 25-years-old, right? 

Being a twenty-something means (or meant) something different to everybody.  For Katie Brennan, it’s everything from finding any job in the big city, impressing the boys in the bedroom, trying to not misbehave at your best friend’s wedding, (but failing badly,) keeping up with Carrie Bradshaw trends on a budget and dreaming to be whatever you wanted to be – that is if you have a clue of what that is exactly. Paying expensive rent or dealing with unexpected stains on your satin dress comes part and parcel for Katie unfortunately.

She sings great songs performed with pianist Joseph Atkins. Her vocals sound as if they had fallen out of a musical, and she is a joy to listen to. Atkins also composed the musical slash cabaret tunes with witty lines that literally shoot at you when you least expect them – he is brilliant on the keys. The gags and humour can be graphic and too-in-ya-face, but it’s ideal for an audience awake at 10.50pm with G & T to keep them warm, which Katie pulls out of her bra.

An evening with Katie will not disappoint. It's full of laughs, and one to make you feel nostalgic about 90s pop songs including the likes of Spice Girls, Aqua, Britney, Vengaboys and much more, yet there’s also a touching source of hope and positivity to give the folks some life lessons. That includes killing our insecurities as if they were vampires and goblins and singing Doris Day’s Que Sara Sara, with the audience, to wash away the blues.

The show is going on until 29 August 2016 at the Underbelly - George Square. Click here to purchase tickets. 

Musical - London Coliseum: Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close ★★★★

"Glenn Close is ravishing. She reprises the role of Norma Desmond, making her debut in London which has won her several awards in Los Angeles and Broadway. Dressed in silks, furs and sophisticated couture, made exclusively for showbiz royalty and divas, she engages the audience’s eyes and converts them all, even those who don’t like musicals. She is a charismatic beaming star when she sings songs including ‘Surrender’, practically whispering before she gives vocal bravado to ‘As if we never said goodbye.’"

Click here to read my 5-Star review at www.LondonTheatre1.com.
https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/134953/5-star-moving-unique-ingenious-production-sunset-boulevard/

#GlennClose is ravishingly fabulous 'darling'! #ENOSunset @E_N_O #intervaltweet pic.twitter.com/xwMtr5WMHg

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 4, 2016

Late start but the atmosphere is pumping with musical lovers and Sunset Boulevard fans. #ENOSunset #Pressnight pic.twitter.com/SIM8bLHc7g

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 4, 2016

The dashing #MichaelXaviar and ravishingly star performer #GlennClose. Immaculate & radiant performance #ENOSunset pic.twitter.com/LRzzC5bYw0

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 4, 2016

The honours goes to conductor Michael Reed & the #ENO Orchestra, floating the audience to the Hollywood. #ENOSunset pic.twitter.com/Du4zf0Wo96

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 4, 2016

#GlennClose is amazing! She made the role her own, as if the lead - Norma Desmond - was made for her. #ENOSunset pic.twitter.com/UB9rOr7Tfh

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 4, 2016

My ☆☆☆☆☆#Review #ENOSunset Moving, Unique and Ingenious productionhttps://t.co/fNdk9GnBXc @sunsetblvd pic.twitter.com/y73C3cOaU5

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 5, 2016

Nice to see me quoted @TheStage in @sunsetblvd #ENOSunset Critics' round up via @LondonTheatre1.Thanks @churlishmeg pic.twitter.com/UIltLmma0T

— Mary Grace Nguyen (@MaryGNguyen) April 6, 2016

Quay Players's Sister Act: The Musical

We are familiar with Whoopi Goldberg and her nunnery antics in the 1992 film comedy, Sister Act. The movie was such a hit with international audiences that it was turned into a musical for both the West End and Broadway stage ten years later. Whoopi Goldberg even had a hand in its creation! Based on Bill and Cheri Steinkellner’s book, Glenn Slater wrote the lyrics with Alan Menken composing the soulful and jazzy music.

Since 2009, the musical has been performed regularly and has succeeding in giving audiences an entertaining evening. Last night [23rd July] was the first night for The Quay Players, the first amateur dramatics group, to perform the musical at Greenwood Theatre, London Bridge. Queues of up to 250 people were forming outside of the theatre, just minutes before the show began.

A strong hold of, up to, thirty ensemble members kept a keen and excited audience waiting but once the spotlights were on, the silly gags, from night club dancers, show time nuns and ‘gay boys’, made the wait worthwhile. 

Sarah Brand directed the musical, which, more or less, follows the same narrative as the film with Latino honey, Catriona Lowe as our diva, Deloris. Her vocal ability seems effortless alongside  her strong stage presence, which engaged the audience from start to finish.

Caroline Smith performed as Mother Superior who gathered much empathy from the audience even though her character is meant to reflect the authority of Maggie Smith’s Reverend Mother. Convincing and heroic, it was hard to see her as an antagonistic force to Deloris’s pursuit as she gave an astounding performance. Their duet ‘Here within these walls’ was one of the many poignant moments of the show.

The baddies and their camp performing were instilled by, no less than, murdering boyfriend, Oliver Mitchell with Scott Topping, Joseph Samuel Cryan and Tom Scambler as Joey, Pablo and TJ. They provided some bizarre, yet nicely paced choreographed dances created by Emma Mitchell. There were also some stripper-like performing too, proving the camp trio could woo the convent sisters, which may sound cheesy but somehow managed to amuse the audience anyway!

The cop, Sweaty Eddie, is a favourite too, suitably performed by Will Strutt with his solo song, ‘I could be That Guy’. The tune has a similar tone to the musical number ‘Cellophane’ from Chicago, but there’s a positive injection of hope with the ensemble ripping off his clothes, twice! It’s also a great opportunity to hear the versatile score to the piece with the musicians in the pit and musical director, Mark Smith at the helm. 

Catherine Bensley as the weedy-nun-turned-stratospheric vocal singer, and Julianne Palmer Mitchell as the crazy, cartwheeling sister, Mary Lazarus deserve worthy praise for their performances as well. Not forgetting smiley Ryan Govin as the golden dressed priest, Monsignor O'Hara.

Much like the film, there’s a lot to be captivated by from the ‘nun on the run’ musical. There are impressive costumes, ornate set designs and props including intricate church stain glass windows that give a fine finish to the production.

   

It's a local production with a few minor directional and stage-related issues that could have been tightened. But, by the end of it, you’ll be tired from laughing and still buzzing from the catchy songs and electric stage energy. You won't get the stuff of a West End based show, but you'll end the night on a high. 

Featured Dancer... Kelly Boylan

Featured Dancer... Sam Hare

Featured Dancer... Katrina Johnson

Featured Dancer... Shona King

Featured Dancer... Sarah O'Malley

Featured Dancer... Eleanor Strutt

Featured Dancer... Katie Underhill

Ensemble... Anil Aksay

Ensemble... Craig Holmes

Ensemble... Mari Booth Spain

Ensemble... Aine Brown

Ensemble... Susan Chandler

Ensemble... Kenneth Cheung

Ensemble... Mandy Dooley

Ensemble... Janice Edgar

Ensemble... Liz Edwards

Ensemble... Alex Finch

Ensemble... Shirley Hayward

Ensemble... Pip Hodson

Ensemble... Katy Holmes

Ensemble... Sandy Holmes

Ensemble... Kim Hooper

Ensemble... Jeanette Hopper

Ensemble... Fergus Kinnon

Ensemble... Darren Knight

Ensemble... Spencer Mitchell

Ensemble... Barry Pavey

Ensemble... Beccy Reese

Ensemble... Agata Rozpedek

Photos courtesy of Quay Players. 

There are three performances left: Tonight and two showings tomorrow - July 25th.

 Click here to get your tickets today!

Memphis the Musical with Beverley Knight *****

Memphis, a small town in Tennessee, not too far from Mississippi, conjures a romanticised image of the1950s rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues era and its founding musicians such as Aretha Franklin and hip swaying Elvis Presley. Memphis the musical, which is directed by Christopher Ashley and now showing at the Shaftesbury Theatre, captures all of this in a electrifying, ground breaking production with platinum selling artist Beverley Knight as its main star.

Memphis, winner of four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical with an Award-winning score written by founding member of Bon Jovi David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, tells the story of Felicia (Knight) and Hugey, sung by distinguished musical star Killian Donnelly, who fell in love during the age of segregation with the burgeoning rise of racism slowly dissolved through music; it is loosely based on the career of radio disc jokey Dewey Philips and an amalgamation of known and unknown rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm ‘n’ blues singers of the time. 

The music, directed by Tim Sutton, is exhilarating and charismatically catchy; it makes you want to boost out of your seat, start singing and clapping with its fun combination of ballads, gospel singing, and musical genius. The production’s ensemble of dancers also get it down to a T; they are unbelievably talented, superseding the challenges of Sergio Trujillo’s fast and thrilling dance choreography.

Memphis, although touching on a very sentimental and highly political time in American history manages to add ounces of humour without overshadowing the deeper issue. There is much reference to racial slurs such as  ‘nigger music’, ‘race music’, ‘cracker boy’ or ‘all negro show’ which will undoubtedly make audiences gasp, as they did in my viewing, but its just a small part of why the writers wrote Memphis. As David Bryan explained it, it is ‘to show what hate looks like, how stupid it is and how wrong it is for humanity’ and this is essentially what makes Memphis clued-up, serious, yet enjoyable at the same time; you actually feel like you are getting an education.

Knight is consistently good at bringing the house down as she sings with passion and fumes power into the lyrics of ‘Love Will Stand When All Else Fails’, ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Someday’ (she received numerous standing ovations throughout the evening I viewed her). Knight’s role however didn’t require her to do anything outside of a singer’s life, which in many ways made her comfortable and well-matched for the role of Felicia and living up to the expectations of her last role in Body Guard. 

Hugey, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Felicia. Donnelly, also vocally talented for the West End stage, played an eccentrically dressed, fearless and politically incorrect Deejay who has an overwhelming streak of cheese, in him. There were certain moments where it wasn’t obvious if it was Hugey or Donnelly on the stage. Overjoyed and enthusiastic as he performed on stage, the cheese could have been added in subtler chunks as it didn't quite mirror the musical as a whole; yet he did a tremendous job of harmonising with Knight.

Claire Machin as Hugey’s mother is also a great watch bringing out laughter and a sadder, more realistic context and tone to the musical. Roland Bell as Felicia’s brother also did this who performed well.  Jason Pennycooke was also charming on the stage and Tyrone Huntley succeeded in shocking the audience with his ability to sing fervently like a hero from being presented as a mute character at the beginning. 

With a stage designed with vinyls, disco lights, moving pillars and black and white film projections by David Gallo, Memphis is entertaining for those who love rock ‘n’ rock and soul. It’s interesting how Hairspray was also produced on the same year as Memphis as there are many parallels and similarities with the show. 

Click here for more details of the show 

 

West End Heroes Charity Gala 2014 ****

West End Heroes took place last night at the, multi-million pound refurnished, Dominion Theatre, for an electrifying evening which celebrated its second year of supporting the charity ‘Help for Heroes’. The charity’s founder, Bryn Parry gave a short speech describing the charity’s aims for servicemen and women who suffer in the line of duty, and how thankful they were for the support they’d receive from those who were involved in creating the evening’s gala event. Last year they successfully raised £88,000 and hope to exceed their target of £100,000 this year.

The event commenced royally with fanfares performed by The Band of the Queen’s Division and a military medley orchestrated by the 50-piece Central Band of the Royal Air Force under the baton of Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs. Tim Marshall directed the evening’s show, Stuart Morley was the musical supervisor whilst Matt Flint choreographed as he had done at last year’s West End Heroes. 

Michael Ball

Michael Ball, double Olivier award winning musical star, and TV and radio presenter, hosted the evening and kept the audience on their toes with a few laughing jokes. He also sung a West End numbers including ‘Do you Hear the People Sing?’ from Les Misérables, where he received a standing ovation.

The Evita set, which is currently being staged at the Dominion Theatre, was taken advantage of and kicked off the first of the many West End songs with ‘Buenos Aires’ sung by Michelle Pentecost and the Evita cast. Lead singer of the UK pop band Wet Wet Wet , Marti Pellow, who is currently acting as Che in the Evita production, also sung Mack and Mabel’s ‘I Won’t Send Roses’. 

Hugh Maynard and the cast of Miss Saigon

The evening also introduced the talented West End Heroes Choir; an assemble of West End's support staff from front of house, box office, stage crew and dressers who vocally supported many of the acts for the night and had their debut performance of ‘We’ll Gather Lilacs in the Spring.’

There were outstanding presentations of some of the best musicals (too many to mention here) by the awe-inspiring Louise Dearman, Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro, Louise Plowright who sung ‘Some Things You Just Know’ from the forthcoming musical Sleepless in Seattle, WOMAN the Band, James Fox, Flight Lieutenant Matthew Little, Daniel Boys, Lauren Samuels, Hugh Maynard with the cast of Miss Saigon and the mesmerising, Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Royal Marines Corps of Drums

Other great performances included a collaboration with Tiffany Graves, West End Heroes Dancers, the Queen’s Colour Squadron, the Band of the Queens Division and the Royal Marines Corps of Drums of ‘Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better’, which ended with fireworks and, safely handled, gunshots in the air. The Songs for Victory cast also gave the audience eye-opening perspectives of World War II in line with the charity’s military cause by performing ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ and ‘I’ll Be Seeing You.’ 

Yet the best, and most zaniest, performance, which wowed the entire auditorium, following a Mary Poppins medley to celebrate its 50^th year, was when Freddie Huddlestone walked up the side of the stage and stomped upside down as if he were on the roof like Dick Van Dyke in ‘Step in Time’. The agility and tap dancing mania from the Mary Poppins dancers kept the audiences’ adrenaline pumping throughout the night. West End Heroes is a fully loaded, but exciting evening of variety and exhilarating performers blending the West End with UK military bands. It's not only entertaining, but something worth keeping an eye out for if you're a devoted fan of musicals.                           

Freddie Huddlestone and cast of Mary Poppins

Click here to donate to Help for Heroes want to donate to Help for Heroes. 
Text WESTEND to 70900 to donate £5.

Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre - An Emotional Rollercoaster with a fuzzy intrigue. **** [A personal review]

 

Miss Saigon’s massive promotional hype has sky rocketed box office sales since the first day tickets were released. There are, apparently, no longer any weekend seats available to see this internationally recognised musical at the West End. First premiered in 1989 and performed for a decade, the new and revived Miss Saigon production comes to the Prince Edward Theatre under the direction of Lawrence Connor.

As a fan of musicals and having visited Ho Chi Minh,  (or Saigon as it was once called pre-Vietnam War,) there were expectations to hear memorable and unbeatable numbers, see hints of Vietnamese paraphernalia, and get a smidgen of war history on the theatrical stage, yet only some of these parts were addressed. They were presented in varying levels of emotional intensity with a fuzzy intrigue about them. 

The emotional roller coaster span from the shockingly devastating conditions bestowed by the Communist regime and the hope and desperation felt by the Vietnamese people parallel to a romantic love story between a G. I., Chris (Alistair Brammer) and the heroine, Kim, who is sung by 18 year-old, Eva Noblezada, who is the star with a tremendous voice that resonated throughout the auditorium. 

Miss Saigon was originally influenced by Puccini’s Madam Butterfly, Madam Chrysanthemum (where everyone seems to have forgotten the composer’s name) and the 1958 musical film, South Pacific. The overarching and all encompassing theme from these influences lead to the most obvious; it is the divide between the West and the East with reference to what the historical academic, Edward Said once called ‘Orientalism.’ It’s the obscure interest the West had with Eastern culture despite considering them as the ‘other’ – inferior and ignorant.  Yet, coming into the 21^st century where this is, more or less, non-existent, Chris points out a popular belief held by thousands of Anti-Vietnam war protesters, at the time, that it was a ‘senseless fight.’ 

The show is a Boublil and Schönberg production that are the same artistic directors who gave us Les Misérables. They create jaw-dropping musical entertainment with solid political relevance, which are often depicted in a brutal and matter-of-fact fashion. One of the first opening scenes is set in a brothel where Vietnamese prostitutes gyrate and are thrown around like rag dolls by American soldiers. Here, Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi sings, ‘Movie in my mind’ with tears in her eyes. It’s a disturbingly provocative scene in addition to the ‘Bui Doi’ ‘dust of life’ song, which shows a video of the half Vietnamese and half American G.I children that were left behind as a product of war.

The most exciting scene that force hearts to rush at full pelt was the helicopter sequence, which revisited the same anxiety felt by Madam Butterfly languishing over Pinkerton. It is the same loneliness and sadness felt by the innocent. Totie Driver and Matt Kinley’s stage design gave colour to such a bleak and war-torn story line but the music itself was most definitely classy with no gaps in between. Disappointingly, the lyrics never made an impression on my memory.

The conniving and, at times, clown-like character, the Engineer (Jon Jon Briones) has a delightful number,  ‘the American Dream’ which is possibly the only memorable song with its dazzling burlesque troupe, grand Cadillac entrance and glitzy statute of liberty head. Undeniably, there is a lot of experienced acting and singing dominating the stage. The production deserves credit for executing a revived classical show, which adds only a few up-to-date exceptions. 

Book your tickets HERE - It is showing until Spring 2015 until further notice

Merry Opera Company's Kiss me, Figaro at The Scoop

Kiss Me, Figaro performed at The Scoop (back in June) was a combination of various musical art forms including opera, musicals, jazz, dance choreographies and some interesting costume designs. Although, the newest production of Merry Opera Company, Kiss Me, Figaro performed world-renowned arias and musical pieces from as far back as 400 years ago. The amalgamation of theatre, love, comedy, drama and of course, a happy ending was outstanding - it's unbelievable that such a show was free to view. John Ramster, Kiss me, Figaro's director said that he was influenced by his curiosity and intrigue of the backstage life in film such as, Kiss me, Kate! and operas such as Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor to bring together the story of two opera singers, Daisy (Jenny Stafford) and Joe (Thomas Elwin), and their complicated romance in the midst of an small touring opera company, funnily enough.

The introduction with the overture of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro was comical considering the use of all the singers voices to replace an absent orchestra.  Teresa Pells and Kathyn Walker in the gala scene was an exquisite duo accompanied by the witty and creative voices of Tristan Stocks and James Williams. Stocks even ran out to the audience dressed as a cherubic cupid. Allistair Ollerenshaw, who acted as the gay baritone engaged in humorous risque acts with Daisy, impressed the audience with his deep lavish timbre. Kirstin Finnigan looked lovely dressed up as a school with pigtails as part of the Mikado scene and somehow perked up Joe with great musical numbers including, 'All my eggs in one basket' and 'Love is the sweetest thing.'

Elwin played the part of the terribly unreliable boyfriend but was easily forgiven by his experienced tenor voice as a remorseful Rodolfo. Stafford's resounding voice woke up a few heart strings in the audience as Mimì from La bohème  The famous 'O soave fanciulla' aria sang by the on-stage couple was performed passionately and like something I had seen from a grand opera institution, in my opinion. 

The gang put together were inspirational and grabbed the attention of all members of the audience from young kids, people passing by, operagoers and even those new to opera. I managed to drag a friend to the performance who at first had her reservations but ended up enjoying the show more than she had expected.

Merry Opera Company was founded six and a half years ago and has 216 performances which has captivated more than 33,000 people across Greater London and Southern England. Their goal is to open up opera to a broader audience and provide an avenue for up-and-coming opera professionals to train and develop talented singers; this has included over 150 performers. Yet, Merry Opera Company has an added twist, which although includes the operatic art form, creates adaptations that are catered for [people who want] 'a good night out at the opera' not 'a night at the opera - and it's good for you'. 

Despite how small and young the Merry Opera Company are, they were nominated as best Off West End opera and toured Malaysia in 2012 due to their successful experiment of the classical opera, Verdi's La Traviata. They also stunned audiences with their unique stage version of Handel's Messiah which has been performed since 2011. In future, I hope to attend more Merry Opera Company productions as I also believe in the ethos that opera and classical music is something that should be shared and enjoyed by all. 

For more information on the Merry Opera Company, please go to their website: http://www.merryopera.co.uk/

What to expect at West End Live

(Saturday 21st June 2014) Having returned home from almost 10 hours of standing in the basking sun at West End Live, I feel that I’ve learnt a lot more about West End musicals today than I had in the last 20 years of going to the theatre. It's often the case that there isn’t enough time nor cash to see all West End shows, but how about a large event where you can explore musicals by seeing – more or less- twenty of the best West End shows performing their most popular numbers, for free? The solution is none other than West End Live.

The man behind West End Live is Councillor Robert Davis aka ‘The Boss’ and Cabinet Member of Westminster City Council. With partnerships from the Society of London Theatre, the Mayor of London and MasterCard, West End Live has managed to become a massive success that has attracted up to 500,000 people from London and abroad. Throughout Saturday, Davis was walking around Trafalgar Square taking selfies with the audience as part of a twitter competition to win £100,000.  

Roberto, Robert Davies and Lisa Vickery

 

In an interview, Davis said:

I wanted to create an event that celebrated the magic of London’s West End – the fantastic retail, nightlife, restaurants, cinemas and of course the West End shows.

This year’s event will be no exception however it celebrates its 10^-year anniversary making it a special occasion. There is an additional Theatre Emporium in Leicester square for those you want more insight into the inner workings of a theatre production as well.

Health Advice & Event Information:

For those who want to attend West End Live tomorrow (Sunday 22^nd June) or West End Live 2015

• This event was advertised as starting at 11am however people began queueing from as early as the 4am but don’t let this discourage you. I arrived at 9am and still managed to get to the front by 2pm as some people decided to leave after their favourite West End show had performed. With this in mind, staff members –actually- let people into the square at 10.30am, so if you want to get to the front (and take nice photos) I would highly advice you to get there early.
• Be sure to bring enough water so that you don’t dehydrate.
• Have some snacks in your bag as you will get hungry.
• Check the weather: West End Live usually takes place in mid-June and is bound to be hot and sunny so dress appropriately.
• Ensure to lotion up with sun cream which has good SPF and keep it with you for all day usage.
• It will be sunny so don’t forget your sunglasses (and possibly a hat.)
• Be mindful of the fact that you won't be able to return to the same spot you were in if you leave the square. Due to the crowd size and demand for West End Live, you may have to accept that you won’t be able to go to the bathroom if you want to see the entire event.
• Be ahead of the game and check www.westendlive.co.uk/ for the schedule

Today’s hosts were from Heart FM radio, which included Lisa Vickery, Jamie Theakston, Lucy Horobin, Jenni Falconer, Roberto and Katy Federman who kept us entertained with selfie photo-taking and West End Live ‘wave’ making. The schedule for Saturday was jammed packed and it was no surprise to hear that some members of the audience had queued up since 4.30am. Now, that is what you call commitment.

 The line up (for Saturday) included:

·      The Commitments

       Once the Musicals

·      Wicked

·      Billy Eliot: The Musical

·      Les Miséables

·      Phantom of the Opera

·      Miss Saigon

·      The Pajama Game

·      Matilda: The Musical

·      Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

·      Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 

·      Jersey Boys

·      Mamma Mia

·      The Bodyguard

·      Forbidden Broadway

·      Thriller Live

·      The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

·      Let It Be

·      Groove on Down the Road: Zoonation

·      Sylvia Young Theatre

·      Big Dance

·      Kasia Howley

·      The West End Gospel Choir

·      Nathan Amzi and Louise Dearman

·      In the Heights

·      Stomp

And last but not least, the Royal Opera House chorus conducted by

Plácido Domingo

As I have an interest in opera, Plácido Domingo and the Royal Opera House chorus' performance was the main driver for attending West End Live; however there were many West End shows that I had always wanted to see which performed today. 

There were so much talent on the stage with many songs to sing along to and a multitude of numbers to get the crowd dancing.  With such a variety it reminds people why we love the West End. It’s a combination of strong voices, a creative stage, moving music, dance choreographies and a well-thought-out story line, which touches us and - some how - makes us find a way to relate to the show. Enjoy your time at West End Live!

Photos of the performances Unfortunately, not all.

(Click to enlarge)

In the Heights

Plácido Domingo and Royal Opera House Chorus

Kasia Howley

Plácido Domingo and Royal Opera House Chorus

Groove on Down the Road

Louise Dearman & Nathan Amzi

Miss Saigon

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Let It Be

The Bodyguard

Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical

Mamma Mia!

Jersey Boys

Porgy and Bess

Forbidden Broadway

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Thriller Live