Review: WEST END MUSICAL DRIVE-IN Concert 3, Online
The West End Musical Drive-In has returned online for an encore performance brought to us by the team behind West End Musical Brunch and hosted by Shanay Holmes (High Fidelity). The shows were filmed and five of them are now being streamed on a weekly basis via Stream.Theatre.
Again with the third outing of this concert, the organisers have brought together an incredible all-star ensemble to perform some of the most popular musical hits. Now we’re able to enjoy them from the comfort of our homes whilst we eagerly await 17 May!
This drive-in is strongly female led but with one main thread in common, they are all in, or have been part of, the iconic musical, Wicked. Wicked is the 9th longest running musical and has attracted over 10 million audience members, so it certainly has a solid fan base that has built over the years. You are in for a treat when you realise how stellar these women are, especially when they perform numbers from the show in this stream.
Defying the British weather in this concert is Alice Fearn, Emma Hatton, Sophie Evans and current Elphaba in the West End, Laura Pick. Each of the women perform epic vocals under a blanket of rain, which doesn’t stop them from giving fantastic performances! There is a great assortment of musical numbers thrown in there, including hits from Frozen 1 and 2, Grease and TINA: The Tina Turner Musical but of course, the audience is there to hear the belters from Wicked.
Sophie Evans and Alice Fearn come together in a spectacular rendition of ‘For Good’, their spine tingling vocals really grasping this gorgeous number. Alice Fearn certainly brings the house down with ‘Defying Gravity’, the most memorable number from the musical. Sophie Evans is perky, fun and warm in her performance of ‘Popular’.
The current Elphaba, Laura Pick, is a joy to watch. Her performance of ‘Somebody To Love’ is incredible and stands out amongst her set of musical numbers in this concert.
Emma Hatton is spectacular and gives star quality vocal performances within her set; ‘What Baking Can Do’ from Waitress being a firm favourite alongside her rendition of ‘No Good Deed’ from Wicked.
There isn’t a stand-out performer in this concert, they all bring powerful vocals and the joy that Wicked brings to audiences time and time again. It would have been good to hear more from Laura Pick but the stage time is distributed fairly between the performers. Shanay Holmes closes the show with a punchy performance of ‘One Night Only’ from Dreamgirls, which will certainly leave you dancing in your homes.
It is great to experience this streamed performance with shots towards the audience as it helps to build on the atmosphere whilst watching the concert. The camera angles could have been slicker in their transitions, however, and there are times when we can hear the performers but not see them for a while.
A really enjoyable theatre experience from the comfort of our homes. They definitely leave you wanting more!
West End Musical Drive-In Concert 3 is available to steam on Stream.Theatre until 7 March.
