Review: One Night Records, London Bridge Vaults

Review: One Night Records, London Bridge Vaults

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

One Night Records manages to cultivate a petri dish of punch with a varied line-up and a friendly atmosphere.

Set under the tunnels of London Bridge, One Night Records presents its fusion of immersive, theatrical fantasy in partnership with the Theatre Café producing, quite frankly, a feast of sumptuous singing and tremendous talent. The line-up is a blend of seasoned professionals mixed with recent graduates, all spread across five themed stages: Jump City, The Studio, Tommy’s General Store, The Jazz bar and The River Railroad. Audiences delight in wandering through the tunnels to each unique area and sampling the entertainment – and, dare I say, plenty of the drinks from the four bars.

The first act of the night is held in Jump City, with a backdrop of Rosie the Riveter looming, as performers Millicent Blair, Kane Taylor, Rose Galbraith, Francesca Davies-Caceres open with a blistering rendition of ‘30/90’ from Tick Tick Boom, accompanied by Honor Halford MacLeod on piano. With such a high bar being set from the first act, it was clear that it wouldn’t just be storm Eunice blowing the crowd away this evening.

As expected, come 8:30pm, the jazz room was packed, leather sofas squeezing four abreast, and rows of people standing wall to wall, eagerly awaiting the 45 minute set from the West End’s Laura Pick. Within the first number it was clear to see why, with full-bodied vocals filling up the tunnel arches and an effortless quality to her voice. Pick provides a range of much loved songs from ‘She Used to be Mine’ from Waitress to ‘Somebody to Love’ by Queen, and a phenomenal renditions of S.M.A.S.H’s ‘They Just Keep Moving the Line’. The finale naturally climaxes with ‘Defying Gravity’, Pick having recently finished her run as Elphaba in Wicked.

Alongside the big names, one group of recent graduates serve proof that the future of performance is very much bright; Jacob Young, Jo Stephenson, Liv Sherry, Lauren Conroy and Jack Powell. Young’s ‘Raise A Little Hell’ from an earlier set on the River Railroad stage raised goosebumps as he exuded charisma, and Conroy’s killer range lent itself to a myriad of the night’s numbers. It was the five’s final Studio set of the night that brought this joyous event to a spectacular end, with a blast of confetti and another number from the popular Tick Tick Boom feeling somewhat circular and encompassing.

One Night Records manages to cultivate a petri dish of punch with a varied line-up and a friendly atmosphere; I revelled in reconnecting with friends old and new in this bizarre and beautiful industry of musical theatre.

Creative Direction by: Tommy Hare
Managing Direction by: Tim Wilson
Venue Direction by: Edel McGrath
Produced by: Phoebe Stringer

One Night Records can be found at London Bridge, and is currently booking until 16 April. More information and bookings can be found via the below link.