Broadway to Hollywood

This was an interesting and varied selection of numbers from stage and screen. Some were very familiar and others I didn’t know so well. ‘Joyful, Joyful’ (SisterAct) got the evening off to an energetic start with the soloist and the full ensemble in fine voice. This was followed by a more subdued and almost haunting ‘They live in you’ (The Lion King) when again the solo and melodic choral singing blended well. ’Freddy My Love’ (Grease) ‘Secret Love’ (Calamity Jane) and ‘Without Love’ (Hairspray) were all delivered with conviction as was ‘Voulez Vous’ (Mamma Mia) where both the singng and choreography were lively and punchy.

‘Make My Heart Fly’ (Sunshine on Leith) ia a favourite of mine and this was sung with great tenderness. Another cracking number was ‘I Love A Piano’ (White Christmas) where the small group of singers blended really well and were obviously having fun. I had never heard ‘She Used To Be Mine’ (Waitress) and really enjoyed this solo performance. The singing and the slick movement in ‘Revolting Children’ (Matilda) certainly made us sit up and take notice and convinced us that there would be no messing with this crowd! ’Be Our Guest’ (Beauty and the Beast) rounded off Act1 with a most convincing Lumiere leading the vocally strong and stylish cast.

Act 2 began with a well sung ‘One’ (A Chorus Line) complete with a small group of well drilled dancers. The mood then changed with an unaccompanied ‘Pure Imagination’ (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and this number in particular demonstrated the fine quality of the ensemble work. The lovely duet ‘One Hand, One Heart’ (West Side Story) was sung with great feeling but I would have liked to see the couple standing closer together to be a bit more intimate. A raunchy ‘History of Wrong Guys’ (Kinky Boots) was well received by the audience as was ‘Reach For The Gun’ (Chicago) with it’s slick movement and gutsy vocals.

The Bo’s are fortunate in having some excellent male and female soloists. ‘Maybe This Time’ (Cabaret) was exceptionally well put across as was ‘Rose’s Turn’ (Gypsy). ‘Colour Purple’ (Colour Purple) was another of the evening’s highlights. The final ‘Footloose’ gave us a taste of next Spring’s production which will be well worth a visit if this performance is anything to go by.

The varied programme provided the opportunity for many soloists to show what they could do and also allowed the company to demonstrate it’s versatility. The concert this year benefited from some excellent choreographed routines which were well executed.

Congratulations to the company, band and the team of choreographers who together produced a most enjoyable evening’s entertainment. My only slight issue was that, while this is a beautiful venue, the accoustics are not good so that many of the words were lost which was a great pity.

Well done Bohemians.

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