The first of 4 online concerts compered by renowned choreographer Anthony Van Laast featuring current West End Muscial Theatre stars and a small band under the musical direction of singer/songwriter Ben Goddard. Organised by Official London Theatre and L-Acoustics Creations, the online concerts aim to raise money for a few charities working to help those people who work within the live theatre industry, backstage, technically, as part of the theatre itself, and indeed the performers too, all of whom have seen their jobs either furloughed or lost completely over the last 6 months. The charities are: Back-Up (The Technical Entertainment Charity), Help Musicians UK, and Theatre Artists Fund.
This first concert featured three superb and incredibly talented singers, all of whom brought their own special style and interpretations to the songs they sang - all from the shows which they have been a part of.
Alice Fearn sang 'The Wizard And I' from 'Wicked', and duetted with Sandra Marvin to finish the concert is swing jazz style with 'That's Life' from 'Smash', however the song she opened the concert with was for me, her magnum opus. Having played the role for 6 weeks live on stage right up until the bell-toll of lockdown, it was obviously a song that was still very much a part of her and close to her heart, and this showed in her interpretation. She sang, 'Me And The Sky' from 'Come From Away'.
Sandra Marvin also sang a couple of songs too. 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' from 'J C Superstar' and the more confident 'I Will Always Love You' the Whitney Houston classic from 'The Bodyguard'.
In between all this female high jinx, Tim Howar and his superb rock voice sang the Bon Jovi hit, 'Dead Or Alive' from 'Rock Of Ages', and a very emotive and powerful rendition of 'Pity The Child' from 'Chess'.
I have seen over the past half-year, many online concerts - far more in fact than I would have seen live in this time - and the quality and integrity of each has been markedly different. Here the production values were superb; the quality of the artistes second-to-none, and indeed even the length of the concert was spot on! Many of these charity / benefit concerts seem to go on for ever, and have performer after performer streaming on stage in an endless parade, and some singers simply don't know when to stop! Not here... this was excellently thought through, just the right length to sit in front of a computer screen for.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 16/9/20
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