Anthems-Movie Musicals

Edinburgh Music Theatre presented two concerts, one after the other, as part of the Edinburgh Festival  Fringe. The first of these was Anthems-Movie Musicals. Billed as a concert, this was indeed more like a full scale production which showcased the immense talent within this company and the commitment of its members.

The evening got off to a rousing start as the company exploded on to the stage with ‘From Now On’ which set the bar high for the evening’s entertainment which was diverse and compelling. A heartfelt rendition of ‘You Will Be Found’ was followed by a charming, youthful interpretation of ‘How Far I’ll Go’. A dynamic ‘Dancing Queen’ and gutsy, raunchy ‘Cell Block Tango’ added another dimension to the programme.

‘Haven’t Seen The Last of Me’ was extremely emotive while ‘You’ll Be Back’ had great characterisation and humour. I was less familiar with ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ and ‘Louder Than Words’ but both were delivered with style and panache.

‘Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious’ was a real tour de force and absolutely sparkled leaving the audience mesmerized at the speed in which the number was put across with clear, distinct diction! A raucous ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ rounded off the concert on a real high.

Throughout this production the entire company remained on stage sitting or standing in various tableaux so that even when they were not singing they were engaging with the soloists and small ensembles reacting and interacting so that there was continuity and total involvement by all the cast.

The transition from one number to the next was slick and seamless with some energetic, lively choreography. This was an excellent programme full of contrast giving so many talented performers, too many to mention individually, a chance to shine and also demonstrating the strength of the choral singing which was superb.

As this part of the evening concluded, I knew I would be in for a treat in the concert to follow.

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