Review: SOME ENCHANTED EVENING, Richmond Theatre

A 26 piece orchestra. 2 soloists. One night of classic musical theatre songs…

The show made its debut in Manchester in 2024 and has since been developed based on the reactions and feedback of the Manchester audience. It is the only 26 -piece musical theatre orchestra currently performing in London.

The orchestra itself, conducted by Gregor Reid, is second to none. It really brings the magic of classical musical theatre to life and adds grandeur to the more modern musicals. They are enchanting to listen to and we think that their concert would hold its own well even without the soloists. Reid’s enthusiasm for this music genre is palpable and he makes for a very impassioned, knowledgeable and captivating host for the evening.

However, we feel that the introductions to the songs could be more explicit/more explanative, given that not every audience member will know the context of the songs and musical theatre songs are dependent on this.

Additionally, we think that whilst ‘Do Re Mi’ is an excellent choice for a sing-along, considering that most audience members know or have at least heard the song, ‘Getting To Know You’ from The King and I is an interesting selection because a lot of audiences are unlikely to know the lyrics. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem (pantos are notorious for doing parody songs/songs that audiences don’t know the lyrics to) if not for the fact that there aren’t any lyrics displayed nor do the singers teach the audience the words to this song.

It is clear to see that Lisa Jane Kelsey and Roy Locke are talented solo singers, however, they lack the range and dramatisation needed for this style of singing. At times, it feels like they do not fully understand the meaning or the context behind the words that they are singing. At other points, their voices don’t seem dynamic enough to sing the assigned songs, and they are are occasionally out of sync. This is particularly noticeable during their renditions of the songs from Oklahoma!, which are either weakly accented if at all, meaning that the songs don’t quite work as they should.

An interesting and well intentioned idea with beautiful orchestrations.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill