Shanay Holmes’ first solo concert proved to be a considerable success, her powerful voice presenting a repertoire of well-known musical theatre classics and the songs that have formed part of her own theatrical story. From Oliver! which garnered her the Best Female Lead award in a Musical at the Black British Theatre Awards, to Rent, Annie, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Miss Saigon and Sweeney Todd, Holmes’ clear soprano created an entertaining evening. She hasn’t appeared in all these shows, but has chosen songs which she loves and been moved by, as well as those she’s performed. And mostly these are great choices which perfectly match her impressive range. Initially slightly nervous, she quickly settled into the roles and the emotional characters in the songs, interspersed with narrative about her life and journey as a performer.
Accompanied by the wonderful Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, under their conductor Chris Poon, the first half of the show was almost entirely slow ballads, many orchestrated at an even slower pace than normally presented. This gave Act 1 a rather “samey” air. It wasn’t until Act 2, with a spirited rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night, that Holmes showed her more fun upbeat side. Ending the show with a magnificent performance of Everything’s Coming Up Roses, highlighted the vocal variety that was lacking in the first half. This doesn’t detract from Holmes’ presentation, but a broader choice of material overall would show all sides of this performer’s abilities.
Holmes has a powerful, pitch-perfect voice and an appealing stage presence and will undoubtedly continue to be a forceful performer in the future.
Shanay Holmes concert was for one-night-only. For upcoming events at Cadogan Hall, visit their website at: https://cadoganhall.com/
Reviewer: Carole Gordon
Reviewed: 11th July 2026
North West End UK Rating: