Showing posts sorted by date for query concerts. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query concerts. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Thursday 11 May 2017
West End Unplugged feat. Dreamgirls, W Hotel | Review
West End Unplugged feat. Dreamgirls
The W Hotel
Reviewed on Monday May 8th 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
West End Unplugged is a new series of concerts taking place at the W Hotel in Piccadilly Circus inspired by the concept at the W Times Square: Broadway at the W. The idea is to gather together a whole group of West End performers and see them showcase their skills with a variety of songs and performances in an intimate, relaxed environment and to just have a good time. The first concert included the cast of Motown and for the second we were treated to the cast of Dreamgirls performing their hearts out flawlessly, even though they'd just finished a show!
Marisha Wallace carried us through the evening of powerhouse performers singing songs of their choosing, with a few special guests and a whole load of energy and love. Throughout the night, every single performer went all out and gave nothing but their best, with every single one owning the stage and holding the audience in the palm of their hand.
The relaxed, stripped back setting of the W Hotel bar was perfect for the concert. With drinks flowing and comfy sofas all around, there was enough space to feel intimate whilst not feeling closed in. The acoustic set worked wonderfully in the space with it being the perfect mix of stripped back and club, party vibes.
I have to talk about Amber Riley singing 1+1' as my ultimate performance of the night. I mean, I knew she was talented but the runs and effortless belt had me open mouthed in awe and adoration,-what a superstar. Special mentions must also go to Joe Aaron Reid's 'I Lived', Marisha Wallace's 'My Funny Valentine' and Liisi La Fontaine's 'One Last Time' as the other stand out performances of the night, but there were absolutely no weak links and every single performance was outstanding. Additionally I have to quickly mention Tyrone Huntley who blew me away again with his rendition of 'Rock With You' which I recently heard at the West End Live Lounge, his voice is just angelic and so so effortless. Also to Sapphire Soul who are harmonic perfection. I want to talk about every performer individually but I'm afraid that would be a ridiculously long post so just know that the cast of Dreamgirls are freaking talented and deserve every bit of love and praise they get!
Our host for the night was the hilarious, talented and just all round brilliant, Marisha Wallace who is the current alternate for Effie White. Marisha kept us entertained between performances with jokes and anecdotes about her life and the other performers as well as providing back up vocals for a number of the acts and belting her way through some songs. Her overwhelmingly fabulous stage presence kept the audience engaged and laughing all the way through and created a glorious night which showcased one of the most talented casts on the West End.
I can't wait to see more of these acoustic sets and hopefully more of each and every Dreamgirls cast member! West End Unplugged is a unique opportunity to hear the stars of the stage outside of their usual confinements and a brilliant chance to just enjoy talent and music. For an absolutely fantastic night out, be sure to attend one of their concerts. Who said Monday's have to be boring!?
Keep an eye out here for upcoming West End Unplugged concerts, you won't regret attending!
Marisha Wallace carried us through the evening of powerhouse performers singing songs of their choosing, with a few special guests and a whole load of energy and love. Throughout the night, every single performer went all out and gave nothing but their best, with every single one owning the stage and holding the audience in the palm of their hand.
The relaxed, stripped back setting of the W Hotel bar was perfect for the concert. With drinks flowing and comfy sofas all around, there was enough space to feel intimate whilst not feeling closed in. The acoustic set worked wonderfully in the space with it being the perfect mix of stripped back and club, party vibes.
I have to talk about Amber Riley singing 1+1' as my ultimate performance of the night. I mean, I knew she was talented but the runs and effortless belt had me open mouthed in awe and adoration,-what a superstar. Special mentions must also go to Joe Aaron Reid's 'I Lived', Marisha Wallace's 'My Funny Valentine' and Liisi La Fontaine's 'One Last Time' as the other stand out performances of the night, but there were absolutely no weak links and every single performance was outstanding. Additionally I have to quickly mention Tyrone Huntley who blew me away again with his rendition of 'Rock With You' which I recently heard at the West End Live Lounge, his voice is just angelic and so so effortless. Also to Sapphire Soul who are harmonic perfection. I want to talk about every performer individually but I'm afraid that would be a ridiculously long post so just know that the cast of Dreamgirls are freaking talented and deserve every bit of love and praise they get!
Our host for the night was the hilarious, talented and just all round brilliant, Marisha Wallace who is the current alternate for Effie White. Marisha kept us entertained between performances with jokes and anecdotes about her life and the other performers as well as providing back up vocals for a number of the acts and belting her way through some songs. Her overwhelmingly fabulous stage presence kept the audience engaged and laughing all the way through and created a glorious night which showcased one of the most talented casts on the West End.
I can't wait to see more of these acoustic sets and hopefully more of each and every Dreamgirls cast member! West End Unplugged is a unique opportunity to hear the stars of the stage outside of their usual confinements and a brilliant chance to just enjoy talent and music. For an absolutely fantastic night out, be sure to attend one of their concerts. Who said Monday's have to be boring!?
Keep an eye out here for upcoming West End Unplugged concerts, you won't regret attending!
Monday 20 March 2017
West End Live Lounge, Union Theatre | Review
West End Live Lounge
Union Theatre
Reviewed Sunday 19th March 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
The star studded line up included: Marisha Wallace, Gabriela Garcia, Arun Blair, Tyrone Huntley, Phoebe Street, Kelly Agbowu, Natalie Green, Leigh Lothian, Matthew-Seadon Young, Sejal Keshwala, Laura Tebbutt, Nicola Avino, Iain Mattley, Paul Wilkins, Laura Mansell, Brady Isaacs Pearce, Jamal Andreas, Jonny Howe, Katie Brayben, Marcus Ayton, Gary Wood, Lauren Ingram, Adam Bailey, Oliver Savile and Andrew Bateup.
There were a number of lovely duets and trios as well as fabulous solos and the performers also got to show off their other musical abilities such as piano playing which was very impressive. The intimate atmosphere of the Union Theatre in Southwark was the perfect setting for the evening with the whole evening having a warm, laid back, friendly feeling. The stage, complete with sofas and a table added to this vibe and the overall mood was perfect for a relaxed Sunday.
The overall quality of performances was extremely high and every member of the cast and ensemble were flawless with wonderful song choices and joyous performances. There were a number of particular standouts for me. Firstly, Gabriela Garcia and Arun Blair who did a lovely, sweet, and harmonious medley of Rihanna and Sam Smith with a cheeky bit of Into The Woods mixed in! Their chemistry was evident and their voices just work so well together that it's a joy to see and hear them perform. Tyrone Huntley and Marisha Wallace were other standouts and were a theme of my weekend having seen Dreamgirls on Saturday (review coming soon!)
Tyrone's dulcet tones were perfect for the Michael Jackson hit 'Rock With You' and Marisha brought the house down and earned a well deserved standing ovation with her insanely good rendition of 'Natural Woman'. Natalie Green sang Sam Smith's classic, 'Lay Me Down' which was truly stunning.
The whole night was full of joy, friendliness and sweet, sweet harmonies. It was so lovely to see so many people come together to perform and raise money for UNICEF and I really hope there will be many more West End Live Lounges to come! Make sure to keep and eye out on Twitter to make sure you don't miss the next event which is sure to be as incredible and inspiring as this one!
Check out West End Live Lounge on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WElivelounge17
Monday 28 November 2016
In Conversation With... Shoshana Bean | Concert | Interview
Firstly I want to apologise for how late this interview is. I interviewed Shoshana back in September but unfortunately my phone glitched and I couldn't retrieve the interview so it had to be put off. Thankfully I got it back so you lovely, stagey people can finally read it! So I hope you enjoy this late, but still very interesting and relevant interview from the wonderful Shoshana Bean!
Shoshana is a Broadway veteran who's starred in Wicked, Funny Girl, Hairspray and Beaches to name a few. She's released 3 solo albums, done countless solo concerts as well as those with the Postmodern Jukebox AND she sung back-up vocals for Michael Jackson! There's really nothing this lady can't do!...
Friday 1 July 2016
Jeremy Jordan, Hippodrome Casino | Review
You may know him as the heart throb of tv from hits Smash and Supergirl or from his leading Broadway roles in Newsies and Bonnie and Clyde or maybe you're just hearing his name for the first time now.
Whichever it is, all you need to know is that Jeremy is one of the best, if not the best male singer; with a hilarious stage presence, magnetic personality and absolutely stunning voice, he's really the definition of the whole package.
Whichever it is, all you need to know is that Jeremy is one of the best, if not the best male singer; with a hilarious stage presence, magnetic personality and absolutely stunning voice, he's really the definition of the whole package.
Last night I got to witness this package all wrapped in a bow at the last of Jeremy's first ever London concerts, the fastest selling performances the Hippodrome Casino has ever seen! There's something really special about watching performers in these sort of venues because they're so intimate and you just know that every single person is there to support who their watching. The whole room was buzzing before Jeremy came on stage and the excitement could be felt all around, it didn't feel like there could be more joy but when Jeremy stepped on stage the whole room went crazy.
Jeremy opened the show with a hilarious parody of Everything's Coming Up Roses called Everyone's Come To See Me, starting the night on a high which only went up. Jeremy continued performing a mix of all his best songs as well as some originals which will be on his upcoming album, including a beautiful song written for his wife called Memories of Loving You. His infectious personality combined with his killer vocals made an unforgettable evening with jokes and anecdotes creating a wonderful relaxed evening. Jeremy's partner in crime for the night was his hilarious Musical Director Benjamin Rauhala who not only played magnificently but had everyone in hysterics throughout!
There's no way I can pick a favourite part of the concert because I was literally in love with every second of it but I couldn't write this post without mentioning the incredible cover of Take me or Leave Me which Jeremy and his beautiful wife sung (couple goals right!?) and also his medley of song requests. This truly showed off Jeremy's talent, singing clips of songs form Cats to Celine Dion all note perfect and just stunning.
The amazing thing about Jeremy is not just his personality and talent but the way he connects with each song and makes the audience feel like they're experiencing every moment personally. Jeremy is an absolute star and deserves so so so much praise. For anyone reading this I advise you to watch all of the videos you can find of Jeremy, watch everything he's in and buy his album when it comes out! And Jeremy, if by any crazy twist of fate you're reading this, then I want to say thank you for an absolutely brilliant night and please please please come back to London very soon!
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