Created and produced by Louis Rayneau, Spotlight on the Future LIVE!  showcases a number of amazing 2020 graduates with a little help from some West End stars.

Born out of web duet series “Spotlight on the Future”, Rayneau decided to make a full-length concert to raise money for some incredible charities, all of whom support those who have been affected by the pandemic. 

Make A Wish Foundation, Acting For Others, Stop Hate UK and Lebanon Red Cross are the chosen charities as beneficiaries for the concert. The concert first broadcast between 6 – 9 November 2020, musically directed by Edward Court who also played on the night, assisted by Amy Shaw on guitar, Kat Bax on bass and David Talisman on drums. 

The show for the most part pairs a West End performer with a graduate and they take to the stage to perform both old and new musical tunes, plus some mainstream pop/rock songs.  This is a brave premise because you risk the graduate being over powered by the performer but to my surprise, this didn’t happen. The graduate performers very much held their own and proved that they will most likely be challenging them for roles in the coming years!

No-one showcased this more than Georgia Lennon, who took to the stage to perform with three West End performers in a medley from The Phantom of the Opera. She hit every note, matching Maria Goyne in every way. She blew my socks off to coin the old phrase!

The touring production of We Will Rock You should snap up Carla Balls, fresh out of Bird College, who proved she is every inch a Scaramouche in an excellent rendition of ‘Hammer to Fall’ with Carl Mann. 

‘Pulled’ and ‘Diva’s Lament’ by Jodi Bird & Millie Cranston and Genevieve Nicole & Alice Croft respectively, were not only exceptionally sung but also very well acted. It didn’t just include great vocals, it was a full performance. 

Whomever chose the pairings did an excellent job. The way that the voices blended together and how the song choices complemented the singers was exceptional, as of course were all the West End stars who took part in the concert. 

My only criticism is that the format felt confused at times and suffers under the switch to digital. I understand that it is necessary right now but it could have been much slicker. I was a little disappointed with the transitions and the introductions as well. There were minimal introductions for some and none for others, leaving you guessing who was who on stage. The presenters, Charlotte Jaconelli & Michael Auger of Britain’s Got Talent fame, felt disconnected from the concert as they only had interaction with one another, and thus their performance on occasion felt laboured and disjointed.

Focusing on the acts though, anyone who snaps up these budding performers will have exceptional talent on their hands and it goes to show that in this most rubbish of years, we really do need the theatre for joy and to look to our future stars. We must ensure that there are stages for them to act upon so that their talent isn’t wasted. 

The show will be re-shown between 20 – 23 November and tickets are available here. You can also visit the same link to donate to the aforementioned charities.  It is definitely worth a watch if only to see stars of the future for less than £15 as you will certainly be paying more to see them across the West End in the future.

*** Three Stars

Reviewed by: Emma Littler