BWW Exclusive: Stars Celebrate Scott Alan- Hippodrome Residency Begins Next Month!

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Scott Alan returns to London in September for a two week residency at The Hippodrome Casino. Featuring a different guest each night, these concerts are not to be missed. GET TICKETS NOW! The full line-up is as follows:

September 7th (8pm)- Scott Alan & Dean John-Wilson with special guest Cynthia Erivo
September 8th (8pm)- Scott Alan & Oliver Tompsett
September 9th (11pm)- Scott Alan & Eva Noblezada with special guests Jon Jon Briones & Chris Peluso
September 10th (11pm)- Scott Alan & Ashleigh Gray with special guest Stuart Matthew Price
September 12th (8pm)- Scott Alan's Very Special Birthday Concert w/ Mark Shenton & VERY Special Guests
September 14th (11pm)- Scott Alan & Rachelle Ann Go with special guests Rob Houchen & Bradley Jaden
September15th (8pm)- Scott Alan introduces Jennifer Owens featuring special guest Carol Owens
September 16th (8pm)- Scott Alan & Danny-Boy Hatchard with special guest Nina French
September 17th (11pm)- Scott Alan & Lucie Jones with special guest Hiba Elchikhe & Georgina Hagen

With just weeks left until the shows begin, we are celebrating Alan's residency by bringing you favorite songs of the scheduled performers. Below, check out which Scott Alan songs inspire some of the West End's biggest stars!

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Rob Houchen (Marius in West End's LES MISERABLES):

"I never get bored of listening to Say Goodbye, ever since hearing it sung by Katie Thompson (a favorite of mine) on the Dreaming Wide Awake album. It's energy and drive, and the feeling of fresh new beginnings, is contagiously exciting."

Chris Peluso (Chris is West End's Miss Saigon):

"I would say that my favourite song is Now. The simplicity and conversational style of the lyric is extremely effective at conveying the complex emotions of a person dealing with a fresh breakup. I love how the music matches the lyric beautifully and peaks at just the right moment. It's a refreshingly realistic song that articulates a range of emotions through the short span of a phone message."

Hiba Elchikhe (Mrs. Santiago on Ghost: The Musical Tour):

"One of my favourite songs has to be I'm a Star. It was one of the 1st Scott Alan songs I heard. I was in my first year at a new school. I remember wanting to prove my self constantly and wanting someone to believe in me. That song taught me to believe in myself and find strength in knowing that your time will come. I remember listening to it and thinking I want to be able to sing that song one day. And I feel very lucky to be able to sing that song at his concert in London."

Ashleigh Gray (Wicked; Cool Rider)):

"What I love about all of Scott's work is that it comes from a place of total and utter honesty. And none more so than I REMEMBER. The beautiful, heartfelt lyric along with a soaring yet delicate melody makes for the most wonderful number."

Eva Noblezada (Kim in West End's Miss Saigon):

"I love Scott's song Home. I originally heard Shoshana Bean sing this and as well as being in love with her voice I fell for the story. I immediately began to picture my family, friends and boyfriend in my head and remembering how much I would do anything for them. It's a beautiful song with a wonderful message and I think anyone who listens to it or performs it will feel just as touched."

Jennifer Owens:

"After a long hard struggle to ask someone, anyone, for help, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. And then I found Anything Worth Holding on To. This song enabled me to put into words the way I was torturing myself inside. Hearing it for the first time, I found I'd previously cried each lyric over and over again down the phone to my mum. Everything made sense. It's as if it were written for me! There is such a stigma behind mental health, I was ashamed and embarrassed. But this song allowed me to feel normal and like others. It showed me I was not alone! It does the storytelling for me, and always will. Positively it also is the reason I have been given this amazing opportunity. The reason I attended the workshop- The reason Scott pulled my up on stage- The reason my life is changing, for the better!"

Carol Owens (Jennifer Owens' Guest Vocalist):

"The song Magic is melodically beautiful. The lyrics are so carefully written and allow me to sing the song with such passion. The song has a certain quality from the era in which I began to sing. Singing this song, takes me back to that era."

Rachelle Ann Go (Fantine in West End's LES MISERABLES):

"I have to say that my favourite song of Scott's is And There it Is. It reminds me of the first time I was introduced to Scott's music. I immediately felt a connection with the beautiful words and fantastic melody. I just fell in love with his music."

Mark Shenton (Journalist for The Stage):

"I'm In Pain is a very personal song to me -- partly because Scott wrote it directly after a coffee meeting we had at Amy's Bread on 9th Avenue a couple of years ago, in which we shared, very intimately, our mutual experience of depression. He then translated that into words and music, as only Scott can, to describe exactly what we both experience. Depression is something that has bonded us; but our friendship is not defined by it. And there's nothing but pleasure in the fact that he'd dedicating a night to me at the Hippodrome, to celebrate my birthday. Scott, as anyone who knows him will attest, is an incredibly generous, warm-hearted friend -- and he loves to do special things for his friends' birthdays. This is the loveliest thing anyone has ever done for one of my birthdays! Funny how out of a mutual experience of pain something so joyous has emerged.It proves that there is always light at the end of the depression tunnel... there's always, to quote another of Scott's songs, something worth holding on to."

Danny-Boy Hatchard (Lee Carter on EastEnders):

"I don't have a particular favourite from Scott's song book as I am a big fan of them all! However if I had to choose one for a specific reason, it would have to be Anything Worth Holding on To. This song serves a multipurpose, as it not only reaches out to those suffering with depression, but very delicately reveals to listeners just how difficult it is suffering with this mental illness, therefore helping to banish any stigma around it."

Cynthia Erivo (Celie in the Upcoming Broadway Production of 'The Color Purple):

"My favourite Scott Alan song has got to be At All. The song was written for me so it is completely connected to me. It's beautiful and it fits me like a glove."

Lucie Jones (Molly on Ghost: The Musical Tour):

"My favourite Scott Alan song is definitely Never Neverland (Fly Away). It was the first of Scott's music that I ever heard and I screamed it at the top of my lungs every day for weeks after hearing it! I completely fell in love with it and was lucky enough to sing an impromptu duet version of it last year at the hippodrome with Stuart Mathew Price."

Dean John-Wilson (Songs for a New World; Here Lies Love):

"My favourite Scott Alan song is Take Me Away. It's a new favorite of mine ever since I heard it sung at Scott's last concert with Cynthia Erivo. I immediately connected with the lyrics & found my self mouthing the lyrics, even though I had never heard it before. It's become my favorite because it reminds me that one day I'll be with the loved ones I've lost, and when my day arrives I'll be content to go."

Oliver Tompsett (Wicked; We Will Rock You):

"My absolute favourite song of Scott Alan's is probably an obvious one because it has spoken to so many people and is the song that everyone wants to sing whether they are male or female. I first heard this song on you tube when the hype of Scott Alan was starting to grow in the UK & I immediately thought Wow! I wish I could sing this song but initially felt that I wouldn't do it justice. But when asked and trusted by Scott himself to sing it at one of his first appearances in London my love affair with Kiss the Air began. For me the song says that sometimes love isn't always enough to stay in a relationship and to be brave enough to walk away if you have even the slightest suspicion that you belong somewhere else. Whether you know where that is or have yet to find it, you will only find happiness when you are strong enough & free enough to follow your heart & nothing else."

Jon Jon Brione (The Engineer in West End's Miss Saigon):

"I met West End Star Hadley Fraser During the Olivier Awards. I'd heard so much about him but had never really heard him sing, until I heard Scott Alan's album 'Keys' with Hadley's recording of Again. I just fell in love with the song and became a fan of both Hadley Fraser and Scott Alan. I'm really looking forward to singing this particular song at Eva Noblezada's show on September 9th."

Stuart Matthew Price (Parade; Shrek):

"For me, my favourite Scott Alan song comes from a more sentimental place rather than a general "I love this song" kind of place. That song is Over the Mountains. Back in 2010, director Simon Greiff asked me to take part in a new workshop he was putting together for a "Scott Alan Song Cycle" project. I had heard of some of Scott's songs, but had never sang any of them or had the chance to meet him. I said yes, especially as Scott himself would be a part of the process! During this workshop I began singing his material including FREE (which ended up as a duet with Louise Dearman on my debut album All Things In Time) and many more of his hits. However, it was OVER THE MOUNTAINS that stuck with me the most. Very different from Scott's precious material, I felt it had a gift of a journey for an actor and a soaring melody that challenged the voice as well. It was also a brand new song that had never been heard or sung before, so I got to develop and debut this incredible song first! Now, 5 years on, I was able to sing it on Scott's Greatest Hits: Volume One album and it will always remain a special song close to my heart and my relationship with Scott."

Bradley Jaden (Enjolras in West End's LES MISERABLES):

"While training I didn't really listen to a lot of musicals. Most of what I learnt was through word of mouth or what I went to see. However, I stumbled across 'Scott Alan - Keys' and two songs which I listened to a lot was Again and How Did I End Up Here. I was really into Jazz, Soul, R & B and this was exactly up my street. It also was refreshing to hear that not singing till your throat explodes was just as impressive, if not more so."