As the West End begins to return, new concert series Monday Night at the Apollo reminds us of just some of its talent
“Just waiting there till you came home to me”
On the face of it, you would expect Monday Night at the Apollo to be all about celebrating the world of musical theatre. But though the roll-call is full of stagey sorts, the breadth of the source material they’re drawing from is so broad that we’re more or less past the interval before we actually hit any MT classics.
We’re treated to the likes of Aimie Atkinson’s growling through ‘Rolling in the Deep’, Cedric Neal imbuing Billy Joel with real soul on ‘Just The Way You Are’, Cassidy Janson showcasing the lushness of her lower register in ‘Get Here’ and Julian Ovenden crooning dreamily through Tom Waits and Dolly Parton.
Of course, there’s real musical theatre pedigree here too, so we’re not having to wait too long before Lucie Jones revisits Waitress, likewise Janson with Chess and Cedric Neal and The Wiz. A sprinkling of duets mix things up delightfully too, Ovenden and Janson ‘All The Wasted Time’ (from Parade) a real standout.
Hosted by the personable Greg Barnett who elicits some nuggets of chatshow gold inbetween songs (discover about Cock Corner from Ovenden, see Jones repeatedly and hilariously put her foot in her mouth). A moment of true emotional vulnerability comes from a remarkably honest anecdote from Neal though, as he introduces a powerful performance from Kinky Boots. Book now for the rest of the series!
