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Since it’s inception in 2005, West End Live has grown into a full weekend for theatre fans everywhere to experience performances from some of their favourite shows. Some shows that have closed over the years or are still up and coming for the West End are always presented as well.
This is the line up of the Weekend as well as the Cast members that performed:
Saturday, June 17:
Disney’s Frozen and The Lion King- Emily Lane opens the West End Live weekend with the song “For The First Time In Forever” and is joined by her fellow cast members and followed by the cast of The Lion King singing the iconic “Circle Of Life.”
Wicked- Alexia Khadime and Lucy St. Louis, currently leading the roles of Elphaba and Glenda, were fantastic in their performances of “Wizard and I” and “For Good.”
The Wizard of Oz- Running for a limited time in London, from 23 June to 3 September, the leading lady Georgina Onuorah brought everyone back in time to fond memories with her performance of “Over The Rainbow.”
Moulin Rouge: The Musical- The cast of Moulin Rouge: The Musical graced the stage and put everyone back in the early 2000s with a rendition of Lady Marmalade.
Grease: The Musical- Jocasta Almgill still has one of the best American accents and this definitely came out during some lower sound levels, though the cast carried on and the audience was still hopelessly devoted to their performance of “Summer Nights.”
Tina- The Tina Turner Musical- A powerful and heartfelt tribute to the late Tina Turner, may she rest in peace and power, lead by Karis Anderson, who last year performed as ensemble and is now the leading lady, performed “The Best” and “Proud Mary,” both iconic songs of the late artist.
Crazy For You- Having recently opened at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London, they featured their entire cast and some props from the show for their number. The crowd seemed to respond well to the revival of the 1992 musical that won a Tony Award and Oliver Award in 1993.
Cabaret- Another revival of musicals, Mason Alexander Park introduced everyone to the performance of “Don’t Tell Mamma” by Maude Apatow who was quickly followed by the show’s ensemble members.
The Book Of Mormon- Dom Simpson, Connor Peirson, and Leanne Robinson came ready to baptise the audience with performances of “I Believe” and “Baptize Me.” With the heat raging by this time, I’m sure everyone was hoping they would get some kind of water bath from this.
The Phantom Of The Opera- Although the show recently closed on Broadway, the cast of the West End were sure to bring their best by featuring both their Christines, Holly-Anne Hull and Paige Blankson, for performances of “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” “All I Ask Of You “and “Music Of The Night”.
Les Miserables- Another large scale musical to bring their entire cast out on stage, they performed a medley of “I Dreamed A Dream,” “Bring Him Home” and “One Day More.”
Hamilton- Welcoming a former King on stage portrayed by Joel Montague, the audience was greeted by King George the third when he proceeded to give his performance of “You’ll Be Back” keeping true to the original character, right down to the shoulder movements.
Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!- Welcoming another revival for the weekend, the audience welcomed another large scale cast on stage for “I Can’t Say No” and of course the show’s title song “Oklahoma.”
Aspects of Love- Yet another revival, Jamie Bogyo as Alex and Laura Pitt-Pulford as Rose, gave a heartfelt performance and brought smiles to everyone in the audience.
Jersey Boys- The whole cast of the boys in red returned to the stage portraying a medley of easily recognisable hits from the Tony, Oliver, and Grammy Award winning musical.
Operation Mincemeat- Going back a bit further in time, this new musical transported the audience to 1943 with their performance of “God That’s Brilliant.”
Mamma Mia- Performing a medley of several original songs by ABBA, the cast and company of this classic musical stayed true to the characters, including the quick changes in the wings and made sure all of the songs stayed stuck in the audience’s heads permanently.
Glory Ride- A new musical, a true story, Josh St. Clair as Gino Bartali and Amy Di Bartolomeo is featured as the leading lady Adriana Bani as they portray a story of heist, humour, and above all humanity.
The Choir Of Man- Still fairly new to the West End Live Weekend, the cast was welcomed back for their third year as they also performed a medley of songs from the musical.
SIX- The rightful Queens treat the audience with a medley of “Haus Of Holbein” and “Heart Of Stone” as they put a smile on everyone’s faces with parts of the original costumes including the green sunglasses.
Diva’s London- London’s new party show definitely got the crowd excited as they pumped everyone up during their performance in high heels and pumps.
Magic Mike Live- The tribute to the movie series, the show displayed a background stating they were proud to support Men’s Minds Matters as the cast performed original dance moves and treated the audience to a spicy stripping of their tops.
Roles We’ll Never Play- An accurate portrayal of every young performer in theatre, the cast take centre stage as they perform various belting worthy numbers from multiple musicals.
The Little Big Things- Opening in September 2023, the cast of the show performed an uplifting number from the upcoming musical that everyone is eagerly awaiting.
Also By Drew Janine:
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive in her work. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020, and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending some time on tour. Drew's favorite by far though, has been the chance to work on Broadways and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry.
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