If you are one of those people who wishes they could sing along to a musical, then you need to make sure you add this show to your list.
Massaoke’s Sing The Musicals is an evening of fun, laughter and above all else – musicals! With a cast of five singer-musicians, you’d think each one would be under more scrutiny from the audience, but for the majority, they were just happy to be led in the sing along. Luckily, however, the three lead vocalists are good at what they do and have the vocal ranges to fit the songs selected. Nicholette Chew especially, has vocals to die for and with a range from ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’ to ‘Defying Gravity’ and Disney in between, you are left wondering if there is anything she can’t do. And she plays the keys too! She is definitely a talent to watch out for. Josh Taylor is the other keys player and also provides vocals. He gets the show off to a fantastic start with his rendition of ‘The Greatest Show’, which really sets the tone for the rest of the evening.
The third lead vocalist is Klaus White, who also plays the guitar. I’m not sure if he was intentionally ‘forgetting’ his words, or if it was a choice, but it added to the enjoyment of the evening, and he definitely had the audience laughing and managed to keep them on side. Io Kaloudi plays bass guitar and helps with backing vocals. It was heart-warming to watch her go into the audience during ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and dance with members of the audience. Ben Cullingworth rounds off the cast on drums, and you can clearly see him enjoying himself and is kept involved by the rest of the cast joining him throughout songs.
There were moments when the lighting was a bit bright and, in your eyes, and it made the screen harder to see for the words, which is fine if you already know them, but no so good if you are relying on the screen for the lyrics.
It is one of those evenings, where even if you go not expecting much and telling yourself you won’t be singing along, you will find yourself joining in! There is such a range of songs, that there is something for everyone to enjoy and it was definitely one of the best celebrations of Musical Theatre that I have witnessed and been involved in, for a very long time!
Reviewer: Jenn McKean
Reviewed: 19th April 2024
North West End UK Rating: