Review: DISNEY'S BROADWAY HITS, Royal Albert Hall

Mesdames et messieurs, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you this weekend. And now we invite you to relax, swivel your chair, as the Royal Albert Hall proudly presents: a musical extravaganza of Disney on Broadway's songs.

Having previously played to sold out audiences in 2016, Disney's Broadway Hits returns to the historic venue. An evening of indescribable feelings lies in store, ranging from nostalgia to excitement for upcoming shows. However, with the previous version still in fans' minds (and available on BroadwayHD), you can't help but compare it to the original.

Keith Lockhart conducts proceedings, accompanied by the impressive BBC Concert Orchestra. Taking us on this magic carpet ride are a whole host of performers from the West End and beyond: Willemijn Verkaik (Aida and Tarzan, Germany), Ava Brennan (The Lion King, West End / UK Tour / Germany), Anton Zetterholm (Tarzan, Germany), and Shaun Escoffery (The Lion King, West End).

With over two decades of Disney on Broadway, there's classics and contemporaries aplenty. The Lion King's "Hakuna Matata" sees Anton and Shaun let loose, Willemijn provides a powerful rendition of Aida's "Easy As Life", while Ava's "Part of Your World" is effortlessly charming. The Little Mermaid proves to be the definitive crowd-pleaser of the night, with Shaun leading the group for "Under the Sea" while "She's in Love" quite literally draws the crowd in.

While Beauty and the Beast opens the show, the encore looks to the future with Frozen, rumoured to reopen the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2020. A group arrangement of "Let It Go" sends shivers down spines, particularly Willemijn's performance (who provides Elsa's singing voice in the Dutch and German versions of the film).

As we free-wheel through the past twenty years of Disney on Broadway, this is unfortunately what it feels like at points: tumbling from one musical to the next and one song into the next.

Unlike the last Disney's Broadway Hits, there is no emcee to compere on the night, a role previously taken by John Barrowman. The performers instead serve both roles and while the chemistry and camaraderie is undeniable in their singing, the segues sometimes feel awkward and unclear.

As this musical experience is a returning one, it does not feature vast changes to the original set-list. Gone, however, are the medleys and certain shows which have never played the London or UK stage get multiple songs (including King David and Aida). Mary Poppins meanwhile gets one show-stopping nod with "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", odd given the hype around last year's film and the musical's return to the West End later this year.

While there are no special, unbilled guests this time, the four performers make Alan Menken, Elton John and others' music the stars of the show. And set in the beautiful and breathtaking Royal Albert Hall, the room lights up thanks to this music and the magic created (courtesy of some spectacular visual lighting effects).

A night of nostalgia, Disney's Broadway Hits is a memorable experience but one which is hard not to compare to the other still fresh in our memories. Although maybe we should take Elsa's advice: just let it go.

Disney's Broadway Hits at the Royal Albert Hall, until 2 March

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