Review: WITH ALL OUR HEARTS, Adelphi Theatre

With All Our Hearts... is a gala concert honouring the 75th anniversary of the NHS and all of the lifesaving work that they do; a one night only celebration with all proceeds going to NHS Charities Together. With a host of musical and chart songs and the reading of real letters written to NHS staff, the evening reminded everyone of the power of the NHS and why it is so important to our country.

The evening was hosted by Oti Mabuse and Dr Ranj Singh who provided anecdotes of their own experiences as well as little breaks between songs and stories. A big surprise was Dr Ranj singing the opening of ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen in the finale, which was very well done. The evening was directed by Dame Arlene Phillips who gave the evening a good focus to support the messages of love for the NHS and its workers.

With a host of top West End performers including Marisha Wallace, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Kerry Ellis, Tom Francis, Jo Foster and Aimie Atkinson, all performances were top level, showing off their incredible vocals. They were supported by the NHS choir, Lewisham & Greenwich, a group of 20 performers with musical director Philip Mitchell who stepped up and held their own with the professionals.

A highlight was Rob Madge who rewrote the lyrics and performed George Michael’s ‘Faith’, making it highly comical about life during the pandemic, including the shortage of toilet rolls and the two-metre social distancing rule. It was very clever and performed perfectly to have the most fun with the topic. Unfortunately, Alfie Boe was unable to perform due to illness but Daniel Koek (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera) stepped in to perform ‘Bring Him Home’ expertly, living up to the expectation everyone has for the well-known showtune.

The song list for the evening supported the themes of the evening including ‘From Now On’ from The Greatest Showman and ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie. The set list had been carefully crafted under the musical supervision of Matthew Brind to make the most of everyone's talents and to tie the whole story together. With an orchestra of nine, including musical director Patrick Hurley, performing effortlessly, they were a wonderful accompaniment to the singers.

A joyous celebration of 75 years of the NHS.

Reviewed by: Frances Tate

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