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Friday 8 December 2017

The Barricade Boys: Christmas Cabaret, The Other Palace Studio | Review

The Barricade Boys: Christmas Cabaret (Concert)

The Other Palace Studio

Reviewed on Thursday 7th December 2017 by Olivia Mitchell

★★★★★

The Barricade Boys bring together some of the finest Lew Miserables alumni (Scott Garnham, Craig Mather, Kieran Brown, Simon Schofield) and finest male voices to create truly beautiful sounds and performances. The boys have toured extensively and appeared on a number of television programmes but this time they're back for a three week-residency of Christmas delights at The Other Palace.

I've really been getting into the Christmas spirit recently with a number of festive shows and this was certainly one of the best. Entering the studio of The Other Palace we are greeted with a beautifully adorned Christmas tree and a cosy log fire projected onto the wall which sets the mood for the relaxed, warm evening to come. The boys normally perform with a seven-piece band but this time opt for a "stripped back" performance with just them and the piano (played fantastically by musical director, Noam Galperin) which further adds to the intimate feeling of the night.

The set of 23 songs was varied and extremely well put together with a mixture of festive favourites, Les Mis hits and some more unexpected songs. Standout moments included I'll Be Home For Christmas/Bring Him Home and Man In The Mirror which both featured tight harmonies and wonderful interaction between the boys. Their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody must get a special mention as it was done so well; with suitable emotion and humour to keep it entertaining and amusing, whilst maintaining the integrity and showing off everyone's unique voices.

When speaking about the goals of the group, Scott explained that they take the work very seriously but not themselves and this is exactly right. The music was faultless but made all the better by the brilliant on stage interactions where the boys bounced off one another and seemed to genuinely be having fun.

Each night a special West End star will join the boys on stage, this particular night we had the pleasure of seeing the supremely talented Michael Xavier. He performed a haunting, melancholy version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas before the boys joined him for a side splitting, Les Mis version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Michael was a lovely addition to the programme and the number of amazing guests set to appear, certainly makes me want to go back to another concert in the run.

This pitch perfect ensemble with stand out solo moments and smooth, natural, humourous on stage rapport is all you could ask for at Christmas time. For a festive, lighthearted evening of top notch entertainment, you can't go wrong with The Barricade Boys and I would high recommend paying them a visit during their run!

The Barricade Boys are at The Other Palace until December 23rd

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Friday 27 September 2019

Shida, The Vaults | Review

Shida

The Vaults

Reviewed on Thursday 26th September 2019 by Olivia Mitchell

★★★★

Combining jazz, R&B, gospel and rock music, Shida tells the story of a young African American girl who dreams of becoming a writer. Written and performed by Jeannette Bayardelle and directed by Tony Award winning producer Andy Sandberg, this UK premiere is exciting, truthful and special.

The beaming yellow posters lining the walls of the Vaults may lead you to think you are in for a shiny, feel-good show, but that's not quite true. This is a stark look at a woman who suffers a variety of injustices and prejudices before finding the light at the end of the tunnel. There's light and shade and an emotional journey which will tug at your heartstrings but continually entertain.

This is a quick paced show, which at 75 minutes really does pack in a lifetime of drama. At times it feels too much is being focussed on, and the audience aren't given a moment to process and sometimes things get jumbled, but for a debut this is very good.

Clancy Flynn's lighting design is fantastically expressive, with some striking moments; and Charlie Corcoran's simple design is a great backdrop for an emotional show. Under the musical direction of Noam Galperin the bank tackle the varied score with energy and fizz.

Bayardelle is a quadruple threat indeed, having both written and performed this show. Her voice is the definition of power and she siiiiiings throughout, however her writing leaves a little to be desired. Whilst the story is striking, the text and song lyrics often describe as opposed to show. Instead of allowing the audience to draw out the meaning themselves, they are almost spoon fed the plot. This does give the show an unsophisticated feel at times but thanks to Bayardelle's fantastic characterisation and performance, everything is still highly entertaining.

It's rare to see such a provocative performance from a stellar performer in such an intimate space and it's worth taking a trip just for the bragging rights of seeing Bayardelle up close.

photo credit: Helen Maybanks

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Tuesday 8 January 2019

Christina Bennington, Live at Zedel | Review

Christina Bennington (Concert)

Crazy Coqs, Zedel

Reviewed on Monday 7th January 2019 by Olivia Mitchell

★★★★

The wounds are still fresh for Bat Out of Hell fans, who had to wave goodbye to their beloved show at the Dominion Theatre just two days ago; but the Bat love was still strong as Christina Bennington took to the stage in a one night only couple of concerts. As usual, the Zedel provided a cosy and relaxed backdrop for a night of pure vocal entertainment and we felt welcomed into the songbook of Christina's life and career.

After performing Jim Steinman's huge musical numbers for the last couple of years, it was enthralling and refreshing to hear Christina show off the other shades of her voice, with her lilting soprano contrasted wonderfully against her powerful belt and buoyant performance. Some stand out numbers included Green Finch and Linnet Bird, I'm With You and Salley Gardens which each showed a different aspect to the vast range Ms Bennington beholds. Act One closer, Raven was another highlight as Christina's voice soared over the audience and enchanted us all through the power of a beautiful song.

Alongside sweet anecdotes we also heard from two guest performers: Danielle Steers and Dan Buckley. Good Girls Go To Heaven performed by Danielle and Christina was met with elation from the audience who were wrapped around the performers fingers, whilst, Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy illustrated the friendship between the duo and how their voices complement each other so well. Daniel played the Disney Princes in the pairs mini Disney mash-up and reminded us of just how much talent is on offer in the West End with his beautiful rendition of You Matter To Me from Waitress; it's lovely to see two friends really seeming to have fun on stage.

Superbly talented Musical Director Noam Galperin took charge of the nights musical proceedings, leading his outstanding band with musical fluidity and providing some unique and interesting arrangements of well known songs.

It's interesting to see Christina outside of the rock musical format not only as a showcase of her versatile vocals but also her depth as a performer. Christina's comedic choices, especially during Stupid With Love from Mean Girls were highly entertaining. Equally her performance of Princess was immensely moving. The way Christina physically embodies a song is truly wonderful to see and it's clear why they say "the eyes are the key to the soul" as she conveys a single emotion or thought with a mere twitch of her eyes.

Closing the show with Heaven Can Wait and All Coming Back to Me Now was a wonderful way of rounding off, what must have been a whirlwind few years for Christina, and felt like a fitting way to put Raven away for now, and open doors for new ventures.

If you want to witness a master of acting through song and a beautiful songbird, don't miss Christina Bennington's future performances as she is sure to shine and astound.

photo credit: Joseph Sinclair

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