Here at Must Towers we love a singalong to some musical theatre; and we are missing seeing those musicals live and in person, even though when there, we have to stop ourselves from singing along to those hit songs.
Luckily, with this theatrical treat we don’t have to hold back any more. We can sing along as much as we like in the cosy company of Sheridan Smith, as she takes us on a night at the theatre right from our sofas. This hour and a half was a joyful, entertaining (and sometimes strangely emotional) celebration of musical theatre, filmed in the London Palladium.
There are amazing performances from West End stars, with songs from Phantom of the Opera, Dreamgirls, Wicked, Funny Girl and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Plus, the incredible Idina Mezel chats with Elaine Paige, and Nicole Scherzinger gives an incredible rendition of The Greatest Showman’s ‘Never Enough’, filmed over in LA.
You might expect it to be a bit miserable watching all these talented performers belt out into an empty auditorium, with vast silence in place of roaring cheers, but thanks to the brilliant production from the BBC the show was pure joy. The two thousand odd seats were filled with lights, and the BBC Concert Orchestra made use of the space, spreading out across the theatre floor. Whilst this was obviously a measure taken to adhere to Covid-safe regulations, it made for an incredible spectacle, so much so that you hardly notice the lack of audience.
Watching this special you can’t help but feel for these hugely talented performers who haven’t been able to do what they love for the last year. They look truly overjoyed to be singing on a stage again, and we wouldn’t blame you if you shed a tear or two whilst watching.
Hopefully before long we’ll be queuing up on the streets of the West End, waiting to get our tickets checked. What a lovely thought.
First shown February 2021.
