Broadway Lights

Set in the stunning 1907 Victorian Hexham Winter Gardens Glasshouse, I had a wonderful afternoon at Hexham Amateur Stage Societies ‘Broadway Lights’ Concert on Saturday the 26th of April 2025. Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by the newly appointed Chair of HASS Mari Watson and Secretary Ben Boulton-Baker, provided with a programme, and shown to my seat. The sky was clear, the birds were singing, and the picturesque landscape of Hexham provided the perfect backdrop for the wonderful afternoon ahead.

The programme of music exhibited a varied choice of musical classics, from the golden oldies such as ‘This nearly was mine’ from ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Getting to know you’ from ‘The King and I’, songs from rarer shows such as ‘Smoke gets in your eyes’ from ‘Roberta’ and ‘The Impossible Dream’ from ‘Man of La Mancha’ and modern day masterpieces like ‘How ‘Bout a Dance’ from ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ and ‘Welcome to the Rock’ from ‘Come from Away’.

A grand total of twenty-two numbers were sang, with a mix of medley’s, group and solo numbers and delightfully complemented by a 3-piece accompaniment and without microphones. As if the venue was not impressive enough, this stripped back acoustic approach made this concert feel quite special.

Each half of the concert was opened with a medley performance. Act 1 with ‘Broadway Blast’; a wonderful assortment of Broadway classics and Act 2 with ‘Forever Motown’; a boppy toe tapping fusion of classic Motown anthems. Broadway classics did a wonderful job of setting the tone of the show and the Motown Medley filled the room with a burst of energy – my favourite being ‘Aint no Mountain High Enough.’ These two numbers were a highlight of mine with flawless harmonies in each and an excellent choice of songs. These two medleys demonstrated the talent of the singers and Musical Director of HASS – excellent job everyone!

Solo performances came from Amanda Yates (‘If You’re Good to Mama’ from ‘Chicago’), Mike Routledge (‘Hush a Bye Mountain’ from ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’), Selina Mankin (‘She Used to be Mine’ from ‘Waitress’), Ray Taylor (‘The Impossible Dream’ from ‘Man of La Mancha’), Clair Applegarth (‘How ‘Bout a Dance’ from ‘Bonnie & Clyde’), Gill Hall (‘Hello Young Lovers’ from ‘The King and I’), Ellen Armstrong (‘You’ll Be Back’ from ‘Hamilton’), Jim Wright (‘Bring Him Home’ from the ‘Les Misérables’ Medley) and Elizabeth Box (‘Broadway Blast’ and ‘Les Misérables’ medleys).

Each are to be commended for their bravery alone. As I already stated these performers sung unmiked throughout and every member of the cast was ‘on stage’ throughout the entirety of the show. Singing to a room of people with no mic and a 3-piece band is a very daunting thing yet each soloist sang with power and delivered lovely performances.

This concert had two stand out moments for me. The first coming from Ellen Armstrong who delivered a masterclass in acting through song as King George in ‘Hamilton’ singing ‘You’ll Be Back.’ In the realm of musical theatre, this number is nothing short of iconic and one I have personally seen performed multiple times in the last 5 years since Hamilton premiered. Ellen had the audience in the palm of her hand. The more we delighted in her, the more she presented back in both humour and menace, and the regal authority required of this number. Interacting with her audience, dancing around the room, her body language, facial expressions, and vocal nuances were all flawless and had everyone in that room grinning from ear to ear. I can say with every confidence; Ellen delivered the best performance of that number I have seen to date. Stellar performance Ellen well done.

The second highlight of the afternoon for me was the ‘Les Misérables’ medley. A show loved by musical theatre lovers globally, the music is very demanding, powerful, and emotive – all which HASS captured perfectly. The pinnacle moment of this however came from Jim Wright as he sang ‘Bring Him Home.’ I say this with every compliment and respect that there is something very moving about a gentleman of a certain age singing unaccompanied to a room of people. Some of the best memories I have of the men in my family are of exactly that, and Jim gifted us all with his performance. Throughout, I could hear the sniffles around me and spotted the increasing number of tissues being pulled from pockets and handbags to blot wet cheeks. Jim sung that song perfectly and delivered a noteworthy performance.

Overall, I had a delightful afternoon with HASS and thank them again for their warm hospitality and congratulate them all on their wonderful concert. Congratulations everyone involved.

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