A Powerful Beat...

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the final night of 'The Rhythm of Life' at the Tron - and it didn't half go out with a bang.


As the title suggests this show takes the audience through the trials and tribulations of life by cleverly using the best songs of musical theatre past and present and covering key themes such as love, career, heartbreak and happiness.

The show opens with the Chicago classic 'All That Jazz', which works really well with the intimacy of the Tron's victorian bar.

This is the first glance at the highly talented cast that all bring something a little different to the production.

Musicality winner Donna Hazelton chatted about how winning the Channel 4 show had opened doors for her to have a career in an industry she loved. She spoke of her dream of making it to Broadway, and sang 'Broadway Baby' before blowing the roof off with 'Memories' from Cats.

Leah MacRae was absolutely hilarious, her take on 'Cabaret' had the whole room laughing. She also sang 'Popular' from that oh so famous show Wicked and absolutely nailed it. I definitely think there should be room for a Scottish G(a)linda in the land of Oz.

Steven Alexander's performance of 'Glass Slipper' from Soho Cinders and 'Gethsemene' from Jesus Christ Superstar were effortless. I have seen him perform in a few cabarets now, and he never disappoints.

Joanne Mcguiness brought a fresh and upbeat vibe to the evening. Singing musical favourites, 'The Wizard And I' and 'Somebody To Love' along with a very humorous song I hadn't heard before called 'Blue Hair'.

Morgan Carberry was a double threat, she was the musical director but also performed in the show. She sang - amongst others- the very funny 'Divas Lament' from Spamalot and accompanied the other performers on the piano.

My personal hightlight was the Grease and Les Mis medleys. The great arrangements had one song flowing really well into the next, providing the audience with an element of surprise.

The standing ovation at the end was truely deserved and chat of a tour was definitely on the cards. I'd keep your eyes peeled for this show coming to a theatre near you!

Kerry Ellis- Hippodrome Casino

This week I was back in my favourite city, seeing one of my favourite performers - Kerry Ellis - smash the first of a string of 6 nights at the Hippodrome Casino's Matcham room.

The Matcham room  is such a gorgeous, intimate venue. Table seating and mood lighting made for a very relaxed atmosphere and the staff were all super friendly. It's the perfect place to host an event like this. 

Supported by singers Jennifer Tierney and Caroline Deverill - who were amazing in their own right - Kerry took to the stage and opened with the popular Adele hit 'Rolling In The Deep'. This was a great crowd pleaser and  set the tone for the rest of the night. 

We were then treated to a whirlwind musical tour of Kerry's career, when she performed songs from shows that had - as she put it -'changed her life'.

These included 'Who Will Buy' from Oliver, where she told the audience how thrilled she was to play such an iconic role. 'I Could Have Danced All Night' from My Fair Lady, and - one of my personal favourites - ' I Dreamed a Dream' from Les Mis. 

The highlight of the evening for me was definitely the Katy Perry medley of 'Teenage Dream' and 'The One That Got Away'. Kerry added such a soulful sound to what is normally a pop style song and really made it her own. 

Each night audiences are treated to a guest performer. For the opening night we had the band 'Woman'. I hadn't heard any of their material before but they were fab.  They performed 3 songs and were just bursting with energy that had the full room clapping along. Check them out here.

Kerry gave credit to Wicked for helping to kick start her EP and in turn her album, and performed a beautiful arrangement of 'Defying Gravity'. 

One of the last songs was 'Edge of Glory', which was a great upbeat sound to round off the night. Kerry seemed so appreciative of everyone involved and could not praise her band and her musical director Craig Adams more. 

It was a truly fantastic night and I urge you to try and grab the last remaining tickets!