Broardway Lights West End Nights

Broadway Lights West End Nights by Burnley Light Opera, preformed at Burnley Mechanics is a compilation concert containing some all time classic musical numbers from some well loved musicals such as Les Miserables and Carousel, as well as some lesser known gems such as Kiss of the Spider Woman. The show contained no less than 35 musical numbers some from the company's past and future productions. The vast variety of songs appealed to all ages and tastes with so many different themes, from Mrs Lovett’s pies in Sweeny Todd to Mabel’s love in Mack and Mabel. As well as the styles of arrangement, from the comedy of ‘You would if you could’ in Me and My Girl to the opera of ‘Sempre Libera’ in La Traviata, it really did prove to be an entertaining and enjoyable evening.

The whole evening opened with songs from Evita with the full company singing ‘Oh What a Circus & Requiem’ with splendid sophistication and dressed to impress in dinner suits, black evening dresses and of course the all essential added sparkle. Starting the show with such an intricate number with the company singing in Latin was a bold choice but it worked very well with superb vocals and good diction all round. These numbers set the standard for which the rest of the show continued from.

Throughout this first act we saw fabulous performances from many members of the company. Modern and different interpretations of songs were preformed adding to the comedy and enjoyment value for all. The chorography throughout was slick and precise and being unable to single anyone out proves how much hard work had gone into this show. Les Miserables ended the first act, this section of the show was superb with solos being of a high standard and One Day More providing a rousing sound for the interval curtain to drop to, leaving the audience wanting more from the second act and providing the talking point for the break.

Act 2 then opened with songs from Miss Saigon. A highlight of the show was in Act 2 when two numbers from Sister Act were preformed. These got audience members bobbing and singing along in their seats and gave us a taste of what is in store for the company’s 2015 musical production, if the show is to the same standard as these numbers it will surely be a huge success and we are looking forward to seeing this already.

After the superb vocals and harmonies that ended act one we thought it would be hard for the company to top this to finish the whole show. This said One Voice by Barry Mannilow proved a hit with the audience and finished the show with the same splendour that it started it.

A review type show can sometimes leave people feeling short changed as it doesn't have the spectacular sets and huge number of costumes that a big musical show has but Burnley Light Opera really gave everyone their money's worth. The 4 piece band created a professional sound and throughout the balance between the instruments and vocals was well maintained. The shows run time was managed appropriately as people were captivated the whole time. The amount of work and dedication of all cast and crew was evident throughout this show and the audience were amazed by the sheer number of talented people that one company has. It was stated by many people watching that it was nice to see so many faces return to the stage; this gives the company a much appreciated diversity that other societies can lack. While in the theatre bar we heard many fitting comments from audience members such as "listening to them was like being in the West End" and "I could listen to them for the rest of my life."

With every company member giving their all in voice and dance, the excellent lighting design and let’s not forget the attire to match, this show really did take people to either the Broadway Lights or out on West End Nights, an excellent show all round. We both look forward to seeing the company’s shows over the next few years, in particular their 80th year anniversary production of Guys and Dolls to be staged later this year.

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