A wonderfully performed concert featuring the typical soprano line-up. Rating
Good
A musical theatre concert, no matter who is performing, is a hard sale. When you take away the staging, choreography, an ensemble, and a cohesive storyline, you are left listening to music for the sake of listening to it. It is an experience geared solely to the massive musical theatre fan. Luckily for A Night at the West End at the Etcetera Theatre, I just happen to be one of those massive fans. Luckily for me, Nancy May delivers a wonderful selection of some of the most known songs in West End history, in an impeccable manner.
The Etcetera Theatre offers a relatively small stage, perfect for the intimate experience May is offering. Without a set, and with the closeness between performer and audience, there is a certain rapport created that makes the experience unique and personal.
May’s choice of songs includes some of the most famous in all of musical theatre, from some of the most celebrated shows that the West End has ever seen (and is still seeing, in some cases). Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Oliver!, West Side Story, A Little Night Music; these musicals have introduced to the world some of the best known ballads for sopranos to perform. May, who is herself a classically trained soprano, does this content justice. Not a note out of tune, not a beat out of time, she delivers technically perfect songs infused with some of the emotions belonging to them (particularly with ‘Send in the Clowns’). Quoting the Phantom, May is truly an “angel of music”.
After a while, though, this selection does end up sounding a bit repetitive. All the songs performed are ballads or operatic arias, with one exception, and they all feature the classic soprano voice expected of a Christine Daaé. Even those that are traditionally sung by mezzo-sopranos, which rely more on belting, are changed to fit May’s classical soprano better. It’s beautiful, but it’s the same sound repeating itself. I also cannot help but wonder why most of the musicals featured are from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. While these are classics and fan favourites for a good reason, the genre of musical theatre has always included different voices and styles that go beyond the expected ballad. When exploring musical theatre in the West End, which is the selling point of May’s concert, I expect to hear the different sounds and ages, to see how the artist on stage adapts her voice and style to them all. Sticking to the same type of ballad seems a bit restrictive to a talent such as May.
A Night at the West End is an experience that any musical theatre fan can, and should, enjoy: it offers some of the most beloved songs performed beautifully by a star that deserves all the accolades. Its song selection, though, leaves something to be desired: a change in sound, in technique, something that may allow May to show off even more of her talent and give the audience a glimpse into the different ways of musical theatre.
A Night at the West End has finished its run at the Etcetera Theatre.
