A few nights ago I experienced my first West End musical concert at the Adelphi Theatre in London. Usually this venue is the home of Back To The Future, but for one night only the theatre was decked in festive decorations for West End Musical Christmas: the Winter edition of the West End Musical… concert series. 2023 is the third year that this concert has been produced and with stars such as Shanay Holmes, Alice Fearn and Trevor Dion Nicholas making an appearance, it was an opportunity to see West End legends perform some seasonal numbers. Despite a busy week following the event, I couldn’t wait to share some quick thoughts on the wonderful West End Musical Christmas.
Festive format
The two-act concert was very relaxed, giving the performers the chance to entertain as themselves and the audience the opportunity to participate. The entire set was hosted by Shanay Holmes (one of the masterminds behind West End Musical Productions) and the stars were backed by a creative band, dance ensemble and the West End Musical choir. It was a celebratory evening full of fun performances, bringing the merriest season to the West End.
Setlist
Shanay Holmes opened the production, before Alice Fearn, Ben Forster, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Jenna Lee-James and Dean John Wilson each took to the stage. From traditional carols to pop classics and festive film tunes to theatrical numbers, various genres were covered throughout the setlist. The whole group got together for the finale and it was such a joyous moment, with all the spectacular voices. It would have been brilliant to see more duets and group numbers throughout the show, as the finale was magical.
Standout moment
Holmes is also a producer of the musical theatre fan convention ‘Musical Con’ and as part of the event, budding performers can enter the Star of Musical Con competition. The winner of this year’s contest Nola Spain made her West End debut at the Christmas concert, singing a Frozen mash-up with the West End’s current Elsa, Jenna Lee-James. It was such an incredible moment, made even more special when the duo hit the high notes of ‘Into The Unknown’.
Overall thoughts
Purchasing a ticket for West End Musical Christmas was a brilliant way to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. I hope the production team bring it back for 2024, with the all-star line-up and creative musical arrangements.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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