Tonight is the penultimate concert in the live recording series ‘Tonight at the Coliseum’, produced by Take Two Theatricals in conjunction with Carter Dixon Productions and stream.theatre. This week is the turn of Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton, who met when they were performing together in Bat out of Hell – The Musical. Tonight they shared some tracks from their debut album of duets, Vision of You, as well as singing some of their favourite songs.
From the opening moments of Shallow from the film A Star is Born, Fowler and Sexton took us on a joyful and diverse musical journey, brilliantly arranged by Musical Director Steve Corley, who also played the piano during the concert. Supported by Mark Cox on Guitar and Nerys Richards on Cello, the pair sang solo numbers from shows that they have been in over the years: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Fowler) and Mamma Mia and Jekyll & Hyde (Sexton), as well as an original song from the musical Fowler has written, The Boy Next Door.
Towards the end of the concert, Fowler and Sexton welcomed a special guest, Christina Bennington, who wowed with her rendition of Hand in My Pocket from new Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill, which features the music of Alanis Morissette.
However, the highlights for me came when Sexton and Fowler revisited their Bat out of Hell days, which was made all the more special for them as that production had played in London on the very stage that their concert was recorded. I had goosebumps watching them sing What Part of My Body Hurts the Most, an emotional duet sung by their characters Falco and Sloane about the breakdown of their marriage. However, there was a happy ending, as the concert closed with a stunning rearranged version of It’s All Coming Back to Me Now by the trio of Fowler, Sexton and Bennington.
Having watched several of the other concerts in the series, it was lovely to see actors sharing a stage and interacting (while respecting Government health and safety guidelines), and now I’m off to buy Fowler & Sexton’s album, Vision of You… available wherever you get your music!
The final concert in the ‘Tonight at the London Coliseum’ series features Ramin Karimloo, and you can stream it next week on Friday 23rd October. Tickets cost £18 (inc. fees) and are available from https://www.stream.theatre/home
Reviewer: Jo Tillotson
Reviewed: 16th October 2020
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★