Graduates at Cadogan Hall concert #3

Spamalot’s ‘Diva’s Lament’ serves Amelia Atherton extremely well in showing off a wry sense of humour to accompany some fine belting vocals. Her enunciation is particularly fine, ensuring we understand every syllable of Eric Idle’s lyrics.

Trained at Performance Preparation Academy

Jekyll and Hyde’s ‘Someone Like You’ is one of those gorgeous musical theatre power ballads that you can’t quite believe isn’t much better known, especially when it is sung as beautifully as it is here by Ayesha Patel (who legit gave me goosebumps with her ‘aliiiiive’). 

Trained at Mountview

There’s a suppleness to Ben Joyce’s voice that would make him a pleasure to listen to regardless of the song. Here he’s gone for the charismatic ‘Moving Too Fast’ from The Last Five Years and Joyce proves himself a highly engaging performer throughout.

Trained at Mountview

There’s a beautiful stillness to Beth Mabin’s aching rendition of Sondheim ‘I Remember’ from Evening Primrose, an elegance that speaks a profound understanding that when the material is good, it doesn’t need to be sold. A richly emotive performance marks Mabin out as one to watch, 

Trained at Royal Academy of Music

I defy you to watch Bibi Jay’s performance here and not fall at least a tiny bit in love with her. A great song choice – ‘Don’t Wanna Be Here’ from Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days – allows her to explore a quirky and adorable characterisation that just beams off the stage. A strong debut indeed.

Trained at London School of Musical Theatre

Certainly not afraid of going ‘Into the Unknown’, Cassie McCluskey clearly has cojones in tackling the massiveness of this Frozen 2 classic (side note: though why does no-one ever pick ‘Show Yourself’? I think it’s a better song). McCluskey does well to cope with the demanding intervals and take the few opportunities there are to push a little bit of character in there too. 

Trained at Mountview

Ooh, a fascinating choice here. Darcy Finden goes for ‘Natalya’ from Dave Molloy’s Preludes (soon to return to the Southwark Playhouse) and whilst it’s hardly a crowdpleaser, it is a darkly interesting song which is packed full of colour and emotion in a highly captivating performance from Finden. 

Trained at Mountview

With Kait Kerrigan & Brian Lowdermilk’s ‘Hand in Hand’, Gabe Hampton-Saint dusts off his finest lilac suit and unleashes a rather fine vocal performance full of easy charm that makes me want to cast him in Avenue Q.

Trained at Mountview

RIpping through Blondie, Leann Rimes, Adele and Queen and back in a couple of minutes in a Moulin-esque medley, Kingsley Morton runs the gamut of vocally challenging pop and impresses, particularly with the brightness of the top end of her range.

Trained at ArtsEd

Taking on as intricate a song as ‘Marry Me A Little’ from Company is no small feat but with the boldness of youth, Markus Sodergren works a sweetness into his rendition here that makes Sondheim feel unusually tender. 

Trained at ArtsEd

Adele’s songs often have the sense of being on the edge of high camp so  Megan Cerys Holland’s choice of ‘Turning Tables’ actually kinda work, as she amps up the theatrical storytelling in the song. Through expressive use of her arms and a beautifully rich timbre, there’s a quiet beauty here that resonates.

Trained at Arden School of Theatre

It’s a brave soul who invokes the memory of the Gal Gadot-helmed celebrity cover of ‘Imagine’ almost a year to the day but Nardia Ruth’s impassioned and soulful take quickly erases that with a superb performance full of warmth and power. And what a fricking fantastic accompanist she has in Sam Young on the piano – a musical standout of the entire series.

Trained at Royal Academy of Music

It’s a skill in itself to make you listen anew to familiar material. I can’t lie, I am no real fan of Chess, but the way in which Nathan Shaw builds layers of intensity in ‘Pity the Child’ certainly made me pay attention. I still don’t like the song but I’d be interested in hearing Shaw again!

Trained at Performance Preparation Academy