30 Oct Stars of the West End
On Saturday evening, Cadogan Hall in Chelsea played host to performances from four Stars of the West End: Mike Sterling, Shona Lindsay, Tom Solomon and Jayne O’Mahony. In a special one-off show, we were treated to almost thirty (!) songs, taking us on a wonderful whirlwind journey around the West End, stopping off at an incredible cross-section of musicals from the past and the present, all delivered by these phenomenally talented performers.
Opening with an emphatic rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar from the whole company, the first solo of the night went to Jayne O’Mahony, performing I Don’t Know How to Love Him from the same show, before moving onto a series from Chicago, which peaked with Tom Solomon’s featured vocal in Razzle Dazzle. The winner of the BBC’s prestigious Voice of Musical Theatre competition gave an outstanding delivery, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
But it was in the 5-song Les Miserables sequence that the group really flexed their vocal chords. 3 of the 4 have been part of the Les Mis company, and their love of the music and passion for the show was plain to see. Aged just nine, Jayne originated the role of young Cosette in the original Les Mis production, before later appearing as the adult Cosette- making her the only actress ever to have played both roles. Former Marius, Tom Solomon, gave an emotional and embittered Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, before Mike Sterling, who played Jean Valjean performed the challenging Bring Him Home to much acclaim.
Echoing the show at the Queens Theatre, One Day More closed the first act: lighter in numbers than the West End production, it was still powerfully rousing and incredibly memorable. Only a large red flag and the signature box-step stationary march were missing. And the revolve.
The second act delivered both a Sondheim fix and a Rodgers and Hammerstein fix, with West Side Story’s America, Something’s Coming and Tonight, as well as a Rodgers and Hammerstein medley. Jayne O’Mahony excelled in her rendition of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, but the most impressive moments were during the Phantom of the Opera sequence, another musical that 3 of the 4 performers have been a part of. Mike Sterling dusted his old Phantom mask off (literally) for Music of the Night, and former Raoul and Christine, Tom Solomon and Shona Lindsay gave a beautiful version of All I Ask of You.
A lovely night featuring some outstanding talent, it was a real treat for a musical theatre junkie. Despite some decidedly off-key lighting, everything else about the night was absolutely on-key.