January 27th saw the return of The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals to our screens, giving us a taste of what British musicals currently have to offer. With many theatres still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, on top of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had, this event was a chance to help entice people to theatres once again with a snapshot of the magic and the talent on offer. But did this event actually help? What shows’ performances stood out, and crucially, which fell flat or underperformed on the night? We’ve ranked the performances on the night from the shows which are currently open or about to begin playing (so the opening number from The Greatest Showman doesn’t count!) and considering which shows would be getting us in the audience very soon!
I’m Standing at the Box Office!
Our first group of shows from The Big Night of Musicals are the performances that simply amazed me, and actively made me want to go to see the show or return to it from these performances. This is the crème de la crème of what The Big Night of Musicals offered us, and the shows that I think you should seriously consider getting tickets for as well!
The Phantom of the Opera ~ ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
What a showstopper! This song had me in chills the entire time they were performing! Lily Kerhoas as Christine Daaé and Jon Robyns as the titular Phantom are such a brilliant pairing! Kerhoas’ performance ability, especially at the end of the song as she is encouraged to sing by the Phantom is unstoppable. Just as you think she’s sung the highest note she can for longer than you thought was possible, she raises the game again and again. She is one of, if not the best, performances I have ever seen of Christine, and I want to go and see her do the full show! Robyns was also fantastic with his mysterious body language in the iconic Phantom mask, putting everyone on edge, particularly when interacting with Christine. I also really enjoyed both Robyns’ stage presence and the fantastic use of camera work for the recording, following Christine on stage and then turning ever so slightly as she’s singing to reveal the Phantom standing just upstage of her, previously out of shot. It was mysterious and frightening and a great use of cameras and stage presence. The entire set-up of this performance was pitch perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for a better Phantom of the Opera number, what a show!
Aladdin ~ ‘Friend Like Me’
The first number following the opening from The Greatest Showman was Genie’s classic song from Aladdin. Complete with lights and pyrotechnics, this song was great fun to kick the show off and a good choice from the musical itself. Genie (played by Yeukayi Ushe) gave a spectacular performance in the fan-favourite role, with the magnificent deep blue and gold costume which has become synonymous with the Genie, arguably more so in some circles than the look from the classic film! Whilst it didn’t come across as powerfully as it could have on television, from being in the audience when it was filmed I can say with confidence that this performance was fantastic, and I’m sure many people will be going to see Aladdin for the Genie’s performance alone.
The Wizard of Oz ~ ‘Over The Rainbow’
Wow can Aviva Tulley sing! Her rendition of this classic number was so powerful and elegant she absolutely smashed her song on the Big Night of Musicals stage! Her voice is so strong and fits amazingly well with the character of Dorothy, it’s no wonder it was a standing ovation all round! Seeing close-ups of her face, especially towards the end it was notable that she did look somewhat angry during some notes, but this didn’t detract from the performance at all, and frankly I need to go and see her lead the entire show! Her performance was simply astonishing. This section of the show did have one slight annoyance however, as after the performance, Tulley is joined on stage by drag queen The Vivienne, who is currently playing The Wicked Witch of the West in the show, in full costume and make-up which was great…but The Vivienne didn’t perform! She got into the full stage outfit and didn’t get given the chance to perform! It was slightly annoying to say the least but at least with Tulley’s performance we had a lot to enjoy!
Hamilton ~ ‘You’ll Be Back’
Daniel Boys’ incarnation of King George is as hilarious as the day I first saw it! This song is easily one of my favourites, and the way Boys’ was able to hang an entire 12,000-person arena on his every syllable was electric, as was everyone cheering at “I will kill your friends and family” and joining in to finish the number. His costume is such a stunning work and really accentuates the fun that Boys has brought to the role. If you’ve not seen Hamilton before, it’s worth pointing out that this song is very much not what you can expect of the entire show, with King George’s songs being as unalike the rest of the soundtrack as you can get, but it was a phenomenal showing, and the reception it received in the arena is a testament to just how far this musical has come.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie ~ ‘The Wall in My Head’ & ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’
This Sheffield-based musical has just begun its U.K. tour and I am so excited for it to arrive at the Lyceum later this year! Ivano Turco as Jamie New gave a killer performance alongside the ensemble in a great rendition of the opening number, with synchronicity and flair that characterises of much of what this story is about. Whilst you were occasionally unable to hear Turco over the ensemble and orchestra, this short number effectively showed us the fun and the excitement that we expect from this musical, and as an advertisement for the show, it was a brilliant choice. The show has an all-new and from the looks of it, talented cast, and I wouldn’t be surprised if ticket sales and audience numbers just perked up!
That Wasn’t Half Bad
Next up are the shows that gave a decent performance all round. These shows weren’t as high hitting as those previously mentioned, but I would still consider getting tickets for if I felt I wanted to go and see a show. With a range of new and old favourites here, these performances lacked a small something or needed that little more power, but were still enjoyable to watch.
Moulin Rouge! ~ ‘Your Song’
The two leads, Dom Simpson as Christian and Tanisha Spring as Satine, of the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! performed the classic ‘Your Song’, originally by Elton John to the sight of 12,000 phone torches lighting up the arena. And what a beautiful rendition it was. The song from the jukebox musical was largely led by Simpson whose smooth voice is so deeply relaxing and put a smile on my face the entire time, with the sheer beauty of the performance. I would have liked to see more of Tanisha Spring singing by herself, with only one line that is not part of a duet, but this is more of an issue with the song itself and the limited time afforded to them by the show. I did prefer the performance when it was just Simpson, as for me their combined melodies don’t quite hit the mark as well as Simpson’s did by themselves, but it was a good performance, nonetheless.
Guys & Dolls ~ ‘Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat’
I’ve never experienced Guys & Dolls before but this looked like a bit of fun! The choreography of this group number, the talent of the ensemble performers and their stage presence in this exciting, fast-paced number was very fun to see. It definitely helps that this song is quite a catchy one, and for people who have never seen or heard from this show before I think it’s quite a good pitch for potential audiences. The only issue that this one has is that it’s easily lost among the other performances of the night. Whilst this is no fault of anyone involved with the show, this wouldn’t be the performance people remember walking out of the venue or switching off the TV at the end. Had this show been given a longer slot or a second number, it may have ranked much higher on the list if its talent had continued as it started.
Grease ~ The Grease Megamix
So Grease has a lot of classic musical hits in its soundtrack, so it makes sense that doing a megamix allows more to be covered in a short space of time. And each of the song sections in it were done very well, I have no doubt that there’s great talent in this cast. But it meant that just as you start to get into a song, it changes to the next one. There are great megamixes in the musical theatre world, but sadly this wasn’t my favourite of them. However, the high-energy, exciting performances gave this finale such a life and power to it, that everyone clearly enjoyed it, even if it wasn’t in my favourites!
Everyone gets Stage Fright
Our final category are the shows that didn’t quite land for me at The Big Night of Musicals. Whether the performance wasn’t what I had expected from these shows or didn’t hit the spot, these shows are ones that having seen The Big Night of Musicals, I’m not more likely to book tickets for than I was before seeing this programme. They may just simply be not the shows for me, but given the range of other musicals available at the moment in the West End and around the country, these ones have not found themselves onto my ‘To Watch’ list.
Mrs. Doubtfire ~ ‘Make Me a Woman’
So this performance was quite a fun one overall, but didn’t translate well to the wider stage of this event. There’s an entire section of this song where we’re going through a list of women whom Mrs Doubtfire is to be modelled off of, including Julia Childs, Margaret Thatcher and so on, which is accompanied by ensemble members dressed as each of them. But with the wide stage and them all looking, from the distant cameras, not amazingly indifferent, you can’t really tell them apart. And when there’s close-ups, the actual make-up and costume work is not amazing, given they’re cameo appearances only. What’s more, the whole song is centred around the transformation into Mrs Doubtfire, which is hugely exciting given the make-up, costuming and wig work that would go into it. But seeing it live, you see that the pre-transformation and post-transformation figures are played by different people, which was a real disappointment to the magic of the show. It’s hidden quite well on the televised show, but if you know where to look you can still see it. It’s a shame that the performance wasn’t as good as I had hoped, and given the other numbers performing, it quickly found its way to the bottom end of the list.
Les Misérables ~ ‘Bring Him Home’
This performance, as a fan of Les Misérables, left me quite disappointed. Instead of having just the current Jean Valjean, as the show is about to enter its 40th year, the song was sung by four Jean Valjean actors, namely Killian Donnelly, Peter Jöback, Milan van Waardenburg and topped off by Alfie Boe. They each sung sections of this song before all singing the final few lines, but their voices didn’t harmonise particularly well. Especially with Alfie Boe in the mix, it very quickly felt as if they were each competing with one another, despite it being meant as a joint number. The entire performance felt very geared towards those who have been following the show for many years, and having multiple Jean Valjean’s was a creative decision that I don’t think was a very good one. But even more frustrating than that was the fact that four Jean Valjean’s were performing, yet there were five in the building! Jon Robyns who gave a fantastic performance in The Phantom of the Opera earlier in the evening was not performing with them, which was a huge, missed opportunity if the multiple actors route was to be chosen! Nevertheless, a rendition with a single Jean Valjean would have been a much better choice, and whilst I still think people will enjoy the show and buy tickets as a result of this performance, it wasn’t the best that I’ve seen of Les Misérables, given the range of talent in their cast.
Hadestown ~ ‘Wait For Me II’
This was my first introduction to Hadestown, and sadly I can’t say I’m particularly excited by it. The Broadway sensation is transferring to London’s West End, but this performance didn’t make me want to go and see it. It may just be because I wasn’t fully sure what was going on or what the interrelationships were between the various figures on stage, but the song didn’t particularly jump out at me or make me want to look into this musical further. It’s a bit of a shame considering the excitement that is building surrounding this show, as well as its highly inclusive and diverse cast. If you’ve never seen this musical before then by all means give it a go, but maybe watch this performance first, as I get the feeling it might not be everyone’s cup of tea (sadly it wasn’t mine!).
A Chorus Line ~ ‘One’
I want to begin by saying that this performance was visually very striking. The golden costuming, dancing, use of body language and sheer number of performers on stage was great to see. However, I’m not sure the performance would make me want to go and see the entire show. They did a good job, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t see them perform and instantly want to go and buy tickets. As A Chorus Line has shown us a titular Chorus Line, it makes me wonder what else the musical has to offer. Other numbers have selected striking songs that make you wonder and question, whilst this performance felt very self-contained. And having never seen A Chorus Line perform at all before seeing the event live, sadly the televised version did little to avert this, which I feel may be a wider consensus, especially given the other shows performing on the stage. The performers all did a fantastic job, but sadly I’m not planning on buying tickets for this show any more than I was before I heard about it. I think the performance works well on an event such as this, or at West End Live, but it’s not one that I left the arena thinking much about.
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals was filmed at the AO Arena in Manchester on January 22nd & was shown on BBC1 on January 27th. The show is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer