Review: TONIGHT FROM THE WEST END, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, April 21 2016

Tonight From productions have been running these concerts in Scotland for a few years now. Each time I think that I know what to expect from it but I continue to be completely blown away by their creativity. It would be easy to hire an all star cast and have them churn out the usual songs that you hear at these events, but Tonight From have crafted a stunning setlist which they have paired with an incredible cast and accompanied with a 200-strong choir and orchestra.

As much as I enjoy Christina Bianco's musical impressions, it is such a delight to see her have so much stage time belting out show tunes as herself. From hitting jaw dropping notes in her Phantom of the Opera duet with Jai McDowall to a hilarious Song That Goes Like This with Ray Quinn, it was a real treat to hear her perform these songs. However, the highlight still has to be her beautiful rendition of Feed The Birds which led into a diva impressions Mary Poppins medley! Bianco as Kristin Chenoweth singing Chim Chimeny was nothing short of inspired.

While Ray Quinn's vocals are the least powerful of the group, he injects so much personality into the performance. Rather than just stand and sing each number, he transforms into the character for performances from Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Singin' In The Rain.

It is hard to list highlights from the show when almost every song was well chosen and beautifully performed. Zoe Tyler singing As If We Never Said Goodbye received huge applause and Jai McDowall's Bui Doi from Miss Saigon was definitely a crowd favourite. Both Tyler and McDowall are tremendous performers and there was not a weak link among the cast.

Tonight From The West End is at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on Saturday 23rd April.

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