Friday 5 August 2022
Sierra Boggess to Appear Live in Concert in Christmas at Cadogan Hall
Sierra said today, “I’m thrilled to be returning to London to make music together at Cadogan Hall! The concert will feature songs that I love to perform, as well as some holiday music to celebrate the season!”
Thursday 11 May 2017
West End Unplugged feat. Dreamgirls, W Hotel | Review
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!
Tuesday 8 November 2022
Benjamin Rauhala & his West End Besties at Cadogan Hall
Fourth Wall Live are delighted to announce BENJAMIN RAUHALA & HIS WEST END BESTIES at the Cadogan Hall on Sunday 5 February at 6.30pm. Tickets on sale now www.fw-live.com/ben
One of Broadway’s most trusted music directors and collaborators, Benjamin Rauhala will be joined on stage by stars of the West End including Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Soho Cinders), Paisley Billings (Six, The Lion King, ‘Tattoo Fixers’), Lauren Drew (Six, Heathers, Legally Blonde, ‘The Voice’), Hiba Elchikhe (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Aladdin), WhatsOnStage Award nominee Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet, Bonnie & Clyde, Bat Out of Hell), Ben Joyce (Back to the Future, Jersey Boys), Claudia Kariuki (Six, Wicked, School of Rock), Olivier Award nominee Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie & Clyde, Heathers, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour), Zara MacIntosh (&Juliet, Six) Olivier Award nominee Natalie Paris (Six, Billy Elliot, Les Miserables), Courtney Stapleton (‘Belle’ in Beauty and the Beast, Six), Jodie Steele (Six, Heathers) Benjamin Yates (Jersey Boys, School of Rock, Wicked). Guests are subject to change.
Music director Benjamin Rauhala’s love affair with the London theatre community and actors of the West End has been ongoing since his first sold-out concerts with Jeremy Jordan in the summer of 2016. Rauhala grew up obsessed with British pop music, including a subscription to Top of the Pops magazine! As a mainstay of the Broadway community, he has produced hundreds of sold-out concerts that spawned viral YouTube concert clips totalling * totalling over 56million views, including Jeremy Jordan’s ubiquitous cover of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” and the many medleys featured in his Broadway Princess Party concert series.
Rauhala found that everyone he met in London had a favourite one of those videos and wanted to chat about it, so he had an idea: what if he gathered a dozen of his favourite West End performers with an epic band and re-created some of those beloved videos, as well as crafting some new arrangements for these amazing singers? On the heels of a sold-out run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Jeremy Jordan and in preparation to play the London Palladium with Ariana DeBose and for an upcoming international tour of Disney Princess The Concert, this was the perfect moment to create a concert unlike anything London has ever seen! BENJAMIN RAUHALA AND HIS WEST END BESTIES will be a night filled with Rauhala’s signature mashups and medleys, some of the best contemporary musical theatre, some radically rearranged Disney tunes, and, of course, tunes from the likes of CĂ©line Dion, the Spice Girls, Selena Gomez, and Sam Smith!
Benjamin Rauhala is the Music Supervisor, co-creator, and ‘Fairy Godfairy’ of Disney Princess - The Concert, touring over 100 cities in North America throughout 2022, and internationally in 2023. He helped conceive and arrange the opening and closing numbers of the 2022 Tony Awards for Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose. Rauhala has toured the world since 2014 as the music director forJeremy Jordan, the Tony-nominated star of Broadway's Newsies and TV’s ‘Supergirl’, and in 2020, Rauhala was named 'Best Musical Director' at the Broadway World Cabaret Awards.
His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof, American Psycho, and Pippin. His Off-Broadway credits include Hit List, the meta-musical from the NBC television show Smash, Duncan Sheik’s The Secret Life of Bees and David Byrne’s Joan of Arc: Into The Fire. He is also the music director for Academy Award Winner Ariana DeBose, Halston star Krysta Rodriguez, Tony Award nominees Derek Klena, Jennifer Damiano, Kathryn Gallagher, and Disney legend Jodi Benson, as well as Nashville star Kyle Dean Massey, Anastasia star Christy Altomare, Smash star Andy Mientus, Moulin Rouge star Ashley Loren, and Frozen stars Caroline Bowman and Austin Colby.
Rauhala co-founded the Write Out Loud songwriting competition with Mean Girls Tony Award nominee Taylor Louderman, which is currently in its fourth season of supporting the next generation of composers. Additionally, he is an Original Programming Producer at 54 Below, where he has created hundreds of sold-out concerts, including the Broadway Loves Series, that has famously honored Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, and many more beloved pop icons.
Follow him @brauhala
Saturday 18 April 2020
Lockdown but make it Stagey | 7 Ways To Be Theatrical During a Pandemic
Baking: Okay so on the whole my baking has not been specifically theatre related but I feel like it's kind of automatically stagey 'cause it's near impossible to get your ingredients out without bursting into a Waitress number. I did make a pie inspired by the show the other day and it actually turned out pretty well so if you fancy whipping one up, I'll attach my video here. But yeah, baking is just real relaxing, just don't go Sweeney Todd to make it stagey!
In saying all of this, it's also totally fine to do nothing during this time, you don't have to be working and grinding. Just do what calms you, what makes you happy and what you want to do. In a way we've been blessed with this time so use it however on earth you want!
Sunday 4 June 2017
In Conversation With... Rachel Tucker | UK Tour | Interview
What are some of your career highlights so far?
Wicked on Broadway, it was my absolute dream. The I'd Do Anything programme was a highlight, I loved it, it was great. Oh Wicked 10 is definitely the most recent highlight, it was amazing and a great night.
What keeps you motivated to keep working even when you're knocked down?
I guess the belief in myself, I know I can do it. I think people get confused with not getting the job, they think that it's a personal thing and 99% of the time it's not. It's just you're not right for them or at that particular time or moment for whatever their reasons are. But it's about remembering that it's not me, it's them. I mean not them, but their choice, not because I'm bad but because they don't want me.
Elphaba is obviously a very iconic role. How do you add your own spin on such well known songs and characters?
I try and approach it with a fresh look at it and as close to Rachel as I can because I think it's important to not copy and not be what everybody else thinks you should be and also because it's boring to do it the way someone else has done it when you're not being true to yourself. I'm a very honest person and I think it's very important to be honest with everything you think and how you approach the music and songs and interpret it as close to yourself as you possibly can.
You have a lot of repertoire, so what can people expect when they come and see you perform your solo concerts?
I like an eclectic collection of songs. I've grown up with old school musicals and entertainers and also love very current stuff like Ed Sheeran and I love standards, like some jazz standards. I also love modern musical theatre as well as the old stuff. So yeah, a real mixed bag. A real collection... and a few surprises thrown in for good measure!
If you could bring any guest star on stage with you, dead or alive, who would you pick?
Sammy Davis Jr, Bette Midler and Sting. Oh and probably Beyonce!
You've performed in a variety of venues both in shows and on tour. Do you prefer the bigger, elaborate ones or the smaller, more intimate ones?
They're all different, each of them brings a different thing. The intimate ones I think will be good to start out for me because they're more informal and I love that. You know, I'm not a formal girl, I love being casual and being able to see people and their reactions so that'll be nice. But I also love the big theatres where you have to look up to the balcony and get people joining in and singing along. So I like both.
You're taking this tour to Broadway with 54 Below, but would you ever consider touring it over there?
I think maybe in time, I mean it's taken ten years for me to be able to realistically tour the UK and these things I think take time so I think it'll be a little while longer before doing anything like that in America.
What's one talent you wish you could have?
I wish I could read music or play an instrument. Specifically the piano!
What are some funny moments you had either on stage or off stage?
Oh wow.... funny moments. I'm trying to think what ones I can tell you! At one point when I first did Wicked, I came back from holiday and I completely left out the whole bit of why Elphaba snatches the green bottle before 'Popular'. I literally couldn't remember a word of it and poor Gina Beck had to prompt me and say "was it because your mum was.....?" and she had to literally recite the whole paragraph and I just agreed with her. It was very scary!
Have you ever sneezed or got the hiccups in a performance?
Oh yeah completely. When I did The Wizard of Oz in Belfast, someone sneezed to me and I couldn't finish my lines cause I was laughing so hard. So absolutely, yes.
If you had a magic wand, which show would you do next?
Ohhh which show would I do next? I'd probably do a new show, a brand new show to originate and create a new role, yeah.
If you could go back to any era, when would you go to?
I think I'd go back to the 60s or actually probably the Hollywood MGM era like 20s or 30s
What is your go to karaoke song?
I recently went with my friend and I did 'Simply The Best' by Tina Turner!
What's the best piece of advice you've received or would like to give to someone hoping to get into the performing industry?
You've got to absolutely know your worth, know how good you are and be realistic with yourself and whether you can hack this industry. And think seriously if there's something else you could do then you probably should go and do it because you know, there was nothing else I could do and I think you've got to be very dedicated and very driven and passionate and care a lot about it. And have patience, it takes years and years to get anywhere. It doesn't just happen over night!
A huge thank you to Rachel for taking the time to talk to me. All of Rachel's shows at the Zedel are currently sold out but you may be lucky and get a return! All information about her upcoming dates can be seen here.
Interview by Olivia Mitchell, Editor
Sunday 25 February 2018
West End Live Lounge, The Other Palace | Review
Wednesday 14 August 2019
Refresh (Concert), Spiegeltent | Review
Saturday 3 November 2018
Girlfriends, Bishopsgate Institute (LMTO) | Review
Monday 10 February 2020
Twisted, Trafalgar Studios | Review
Twisted was a great way to spend a Sunday and I'd certainly recommend booking future Monsteers concerts. Great songs, a fab theme and an outstanding band led by the incomparable Steve Corley made for a thoroughly entertaining afternoon.
Friday 23 November 2018
West End Live Lounge, The Other Palace | Review
Thursday 24 January 2019
Vision of You: Live with Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton, The Space at Studio 88 | Review
Friday 16 June 2017
Idina Menzel, Royal Albert Hall | Review
Royal Albert Hall