Review: THE REUNION, Oval Space

It's been almost a year since Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Jarneia Richard-Noel, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Millie O'Connell and Natalie Paris stood on stage together for the final time in SIX at the Arts Theatre. With the addition of Grace Mouat, (who had been an alternate queen during their run), The Reunion sees all seven queens together on stage for the first time.

An evening of pop numbers by inspirational and iconic female singers such as Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry and Demi Lovato, the show's structure closely resembled SIX, with each performer having their time in the spotlight and telling stories before each song. From Atkinson sharing her advice on toxic friendships and McIntosh chatting about her experiences of motherhood, to Paris's rousing speech about not apologising for being yourself, the show was full of positive messages for its audience.

As you'd expect from these Olivier Award-nominated performers, everyone's vocals were on point throughout, and the musical arrangements for each track complemented their unique styles to a tee. From ballad divas like Paris and Quansah-Breed, to the soulful and sexy tones of Richard-Noel and McIntosh, everyone stood out as individuals, as well as working in complete sync as a group.

The show featured a mixture of slow, chilled-out songs, where the soloist took centre stage with her co-stars sat down providing backing vocals behind her, as well as fast-paced numbers with sleek choreography from the entire group that wouldn't have been out of place in a West End show.

The choice to end on Little Mix's chart-topping track, "Salute", was an inspired one, as you watched one group who've inspired thousands of young women cover another - and it seemed rather fitting to do so. While the music choices were undoubtedly spot-on, not performing a song from SIX itself did feel like a missed opportunity.

The overarching theme of the show was female empowerment, with each performer telling the audience (and each other) what strong, wonderful women they were. And it clearly wasn't all talk either - during each other's solos, you caught regular glimpses of genuine friendship, pride and love for their co-stars, providing beautiful moments to witness regularly through the show. The regular mentions and praise for "Sarah on sound" further emphasised their message about sisterhood.

The Oval Space was the perfect venue for this show: plenty of (social distanced) seating, but in an intimate enough venue that you could imagine you were back at the Arts. It felt like the queens were just talking to you, but the atmosphere was electric from the other audience members around you at the same time. Everybody was clearly having fun on stage, and that translated into the audience for an atmosphere that's hard to come by during these weird times.

This highly awaited reunion was everything you'd expect from the queens: incredible vocals, spectacular choreography, and plenty of girl power.

Tickets are available for in-person attendance and to watch via livestream. For additional information, visit: https://thespie.com

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

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