Review: THE SHOW MUST GO ON! LIVE AT THE PALACE
It's almost impossible to put into words the significance behind this historic event. It wasn't just a concert, it was a welcome back to theatre, to art, to performance, to what we have all been missing for so long.
We were lucky enough to be in the room where it happened, and let us tell you that no event will ever be able to replicate the electric atmosphere within the Palace Theatre. It was truly magical, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house or - we’ve no doubt - in the thousands of houses watching the livestream at home.
To Chris Marcus and Damien Stanton, congratulations on this concert being the icing on an incredible £1,000,000 cake that has helped our industry in a massive way, providing hope to all of us through t-Shirts, hoodies, water bottles, posters and of course, last week at the Palace Theatre.
Every single performance from every show was no less than perfection; from Jordan Luke Gage belting ‘It's My Life’ from &Juliet, to Lucy St. Louis' debut as Christine performing ‘All I Ask Of You’ from The Phantom of the Opera with Rhys Whitfield; and from the emotional harmonies showcased by Alexia Khadime and Christine Allado in ‘When You Believe’ from The Prince of Egypt, to the powerful Collette Guitart with ‘Heart Of Stone’ from Six.
The evening was hosted brilliantly by Trevor Dion Nicholas and Bonnie Langford whose chemistry is brilliant and so easy to watch. Trevor also sang ‘You'll Be Back’ from Hamilton as a little treat for us all and it is exactly as good as you anticipate.
We'd also like to give a shout-out to the choir of recent graduates who received a proper graduation but this marked their West End debut. We are so happy for them and thrilled that the producers of this event gave them this opportunity to perform onstage. They are the future of this industry and we can't wait to see what each of them will go on to achieve.
The choir were backed by a talented orchestra playing beautiful arrangements of the musical theatre showtunes on display. The whole team combined has left us feeling inspired to book as many theatre tickets as we possibly can.
And that's what this evening is all about, the future, and it looks brighter than ever. With more and more theatres opening each day, "The Show Must Go On" has never been more true. So congratulations to everyone, the 5 stars for this event go to each and every single person who made this a reality; the stage management team, the Front of House Staff, the music department, the performers and everyone in between. From the bottom of our heart, thank you.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Callum Wallace
The Show Must Go On! Live at the Palace remains available to stream on Youtube until Sunday 13 June.
