A Taste of the West End

Together for Theatre Productions returned to the Knutsford Little Theatre stage with their concert production of ‘A Taste of the West End’, directed by Alicia Whittaker. The concept of the concert was well thought through and worked well. Set in a theatrical diner, the audience met a whole host of characters, from the early bird to waitresses to a pair of lovers. There was an apparent story that ran through the concert, which made it interesting and exciting. The songs chosen were in response to each other, which was an inspired choice. The tables that were on stage were occupied during the majority of the numbers, with performers reacting to the songs being performed, which was good attention to detail. All performers had their chance in the spotlight, whether it was solo numbers or solo lines in songs.

The musical director was Alex Williams, with the cast performing to backing tracks. There were lots of different musical styles on display from the classics like ‘Les Miserables’ to the more rocky styles with songs from ‘Bat Out of Hell’ and ‘We Will Rock You’. The cast adapted to each style admirably. The whole ensemble numbers were very well performed.

Sam Sherliker-Hewitt choreographed the concert. It was good to see dance routines performed as part of the concert, and there was a good variety of dance styles. The tap in ‘Morning Person’ was performed well, and the ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ routine was full of energy. The choreography was performed well by the cast.

The technical aspects of the production were very good. The projections were good (very cartoon like), as we travelled through the diner. The sound balance between the backing tracks and cast was good. There were a few instances where some performers couldn’t be heard. Lighting was of a very good standard. The colours used in some of the numbers was good, helping to create atmosphere.

The set supported the concept of a theatrical diner, with projections being used. Tables were used upstage to add a further dimension to the staging, with staging blocks appearing for Act 2, being used as the diner stage.

The cast wore black throughout, with the diner workers wearing white aprons as well. There were feather boas worn during the hen party sequence as well, which added a good pop of colour.

Act One had a good variety of songs from the classic musicals to more recent musicals. With the diner concept that was chosen, it was inevitable that ‘Waitress’ would make an appearance, with the company performing ‘Opening Up’! This was performed very well by all, introducing the audience to the overall concept of the concert. Nicole Whittle led ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ from ‘Hairspray’ very well. She had a brightness to her vocal, which was much appreciated. Matt McGoldrick and Alicia Whittaker performed as the couple mentioned earlier. During the course of the evening, the audience saw the journey of the relationship. Their performance of ‘Only Us’ from ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ was beautifully performed by both. Lucy Page’s rendition of ‘He’s My Boy’ from ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ was spine-tingling. Lucy’s acting through song was great – you felt every word she was singing. Amy Harvey led the company in ‘Somebody to Love’ from ‘We Will Rock You’. This was a good performance from Amy, with a good vocal. Amy’s dancing was fantastic throughout, fully committing to the choreography.

Act Two was very much the diner after-hours. Again, there was a good variety of songs on offer. Lewis Baron did well performing ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ from ‘Be More Chill’. He was suitably emotive throughout. The staging for this number was good as well, with Lewis by himself with the rest of the cast on stage frozen in the hen party. Sam Sherliker-Hewitt was a joy to watch throughout, with her moment in the spotlight coming in the second half. Her performance of ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’ brought the house down. Toby Abbott’s rendition of ‘You’ll Be Back’ from ‘Hamilton’ was fantastic. Toby performed this with ease, and suitably funny with the song. This was a highlight of the production. ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ was a great ensemble number, performed very well with brilliant choreography well executed by the female ensemble. The finale, ‘Seize the Day’, from ‘Newsies’ was performed well by the whole company. You could really feel the love that the cast had for one another.

Overall, this was a good production, with a very good concept, some excellent vocals and good choreographed routines.

Thank you to Together for Theatre Productions for their kind invite and welcome. All the best for your next production, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.

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