Musicals by Candlelight

There was a simple but atmospheric set with dozens of candles grouped around the stage and a small band of musicians in one upstage corner. The piano and strings worked well for the musical selection chosen for this cabaret and the balance between the band and singers was good from where we were sitting in the audience, and certainly helped by the amplification provided by the four standing microphones across the front of the stage.

Careful thought had clearly gone into the programme’s content resulting in an excellent choice of songs, with something to suit every taste and age group in the audience and some real standout moments. The company began the evening with ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, with some impressive harmonies and excellent dynamics. The group should have been performing My Fair Lady when the pandemic struck, so it was a nice touch to give the intended leading lady the chance to sing ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’. It was a very endearing rendition which highlighted what a good production this would have been if they hadn’t had to cancel.

This was followed by favourites from Mama Mia, Guys and Dolls and Sunset Boulevard, with good character, storytelling and connection to the audience evident from each.  However, it was the youngest member of the group that provided the stand out moment of the evening. ‘Your Song’ from Moulin Rouge was sung with confidence and sincerity from this young man and left the audience spellbound.  We were sorry not to have heard his excellent voice again during the remainder of the programme, but hope he will continue with the group for future productions and concerts.  ‘Requiem’ from Dear Evan Hansen followed, which was another outstanding performance from this little-known contemporary musical.

‘Edelweiss’ really showed off the vocal capabilities of the ladies and was an attractive arrangement. This was followed by an impressive duet from Miss Saigon, a characterful rendition of ‘Spotlight’ from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and a lively presentation of one of the most well-known songs from Hamilton.  The company’s excellent dynamics and harmonies were very much to the fore again in the final number in Act I - ‘The Song of Purple Summer’ from Spring Awakening

Act 2 began with the company singing ‘Day by Day’ from Godspell which had the audience clapping along by the end and then ‘It’s a Fine, Fine Line’ from Avenue Q, performed with conviction and strong vocals.  ‘Maybe This Time’ was sung with great control and ‘Dance Ten, Looks Three’ from A Chorus Line was definitely the stand out comedy moment of the show.  It was sung with bags of character and a good dollop of cheekiness, which the audience loved.

A sequence of more dramatic numbers followed, beginning with Lloyd Webber’s soaring duet ‘All I Ask of You’ from Phantom of the Opera sung with great emotional depth and intensity.  The poignant ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story which came next was coloured with some lovely riffs which really made it the soloist’s own.   ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserable was another audience favourite, so much so that the lady sitting behind me could not help joining in with the song’s climactic finish!   This was followed by another well sung number from this popular musical,’ I Dreamed a Dream’. There was a lovely balance between the singers for the duet ‘Movie in My Mind’ from Miss Saigon and amazing control shown for ‘Gethsemane’ from Jesus Christ Superstar, which must be one of the most vocally demanding songs in musical theatre.

This excellent evening concluded with a rousing rendition of ‘Seasons of Love’ from Rent by the whole company. 

It would have been very easy to have left the whole cast in evening wear for the entire cabaret, so it was nice to see they did not take the easy option. Instead, there were many costume changes, so that each song had an appropriate look and this really enhanced the production.  All in all, this was a really lovely evening of music that was very much appreciated by the audience and provided the perfect return for the group post pandemic.  Very well done to all involved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.