Review: BARROW AND IRELAND AND FRIENDS, Red Piano Productions (Online)

Lockdown has been a tough period for everyone but with its slower pace, it has allowed for some diverse and amazing creative moments and compositions to come to light, particularly from emerging talents. Having directing a virtual choir and releasing covers during lockdown, talented composing duo Ben Barrow and Lucy Ireland have certainly contributed to this creative momentum.

Meeting on the actor-musician course at Guildford School of Acting in 2016, they soon became good friends and a working duo at the same time. This weekend, Barrow and Ireland present their first online concert, accompanied by friends and colleagues, produced by Red Piano Productions.

Introducing the show, the friendly duo (accompanied by the energetic Dominic Gray as host) reveal that the concert has been put in place with an aim of fundraising a production of their third piece of collaborative work, From Here. 

The concert features joyous, funny conversations and song presentations between the host and Barrow & Ireland, among some ravishing singing surprises (notably the acapella duet) and compositions from their previous works, all solely accompanied by a piano. It includes their first show about a young child who’s perception of the world is changing and a one-act musical which follows two central characters and their searching for their missing piece in life.

The recorded Friends, with only headphones and a clear joy to perform, gather around today’s and yesterday’s GSA incredible performers/graduates Nikita Johal, Olivia Lallo, Evie Rose Lane, Christian Lunn, Ethan Marescaux, Marina Tavolieri and Aoife O’Dea whom Barrow & Ireland met along the way, and marvellous stage friends Joe Thompson-Oubari, Emily-May and Kyle Birching (performing together in a terrific mashup). 

The amount of skill, teamwork, passion and prodigious performers will totally astonish the audience during this enjoyable 60-minute concert.

**** Four stars 

Reviewed by: Alexia Irene

You have one more opportunity to watch this brilliant concert this evening here or to contribute to their fundraising, please click here.