Trafalgar Square, London. 25th June 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
West End Live is always the highlight of my year and this year's event is no different!
So let's quickly talk about the only negative, the queuing system. Every year they seem to tweak it but just gets worse. This year instead of 2 entrances there was only 1! I arrived at 5am and joined one of 2 queues. At 9am because of the lengths of the queue they opened a 3rd. This resulted in the 3rd queue being opened shorty after 1 and 2 which was not fair on the people who was there super early.
OK now onto the positives!!
This years saturday presenters,Faye Tozer and Nathan Amzi,absolutely brilliant. Really worked well together. You could tell they had a real passion for theatre and enthusiasm to be there. Out of all the presenters i have seen, they put the most effort into the West End Live Wave!
So, this year they split some of the big performances to the Sunday, like Les Mis and Mary Poppins which is a shame the Saturday still had some mega hits. My poor voice by the end of the day had gone!
The show opened with the famous countdown and a performance of the 3 big Disney Shows! It started with the cast of The Lion King performing Circle of Life, then the cast of Frozen singing I Can't lose you. This was interesting choice as i havent heard the song fully due to not seeing it and quite a few people around not singing along either. Then the cast of Beauty and the Beast sang the title song, Beauty and the Beast. This set closed with a incredible joint version of Let It Go!
The next one was Moulin Rouge. They performed Lady Marmalade. Now personally i have never seen the show or the film but after this performance it has jumped up the list of shows to see.
The next was Legally Blonde. They performed several songs from their show. Now i personally feel this was the weakest performace because i didnt know a single song or anything about the film the show is based on.
Wicked was next to take to the stage and the first song was For Good, with Defying Gravity closing the set! This was an amazing performance and Lucie Jones version of Defying was breath-taking and the entire audience joined in!
Next up was Grease. I love the film version and have always been a been sceptical about the stage version but this awesome. Every song they sang was as good as the film, and as soon as it goes on tour again i will be front of row of the queue for tickets.
Book of Mormon was next to perform and they sang You and Me(But Mostly Me) This was brillaint performance. This was only the second year it has performed at West End Live. I still want to see this show as have listend to the soundtrack since its release in the US.
& Juliet was next on stage and performed a few of their songs. This was an amazing performance, it's a shame its closing soon in the west end as this is one of my top 5 shows! What was shocking was Rhys Wilkinson had only found out that morning he was performing as Romeo, you wouldn't have known from his performance!
Phantom of the Opera was next and had all 3 of their Phantoms performing. It was really good they was giving recognition to the covers. I love the songs of Phantom and it still annoys me that i havent been to see it on the West End!
Bonnie and Cylde was next, I have never heard or seen anything of this show, but the this performance has 100% put it on my rader. Im really annoyed my phone had a turn and didnt record it as the songs really good!
Cabaret was next and performed the title song. Now i had seen pictures and videos of this show beforehand and thought it wasn't for me. But after seeing that performance i will be going to see it!
Only Fools and Horses was next on stage. Not going to lie have never been a fan of the tv show but the songs of the stage version has made want to see this version.
Dear Evan Hansen was next on stage. Opening with the upbeat Sincerely Me. Sam Tutty then performed You Will Be Found with the rest of the principle cast. This was a real upsetting song, and made more upsetting with graphic behind them showing the timeline of the show and the announcement of the closure. I absouletly love this show, and even went to see it again the evening of West End Live!
Tina The Tina Musical was next and performed Nutbush City Limits, Rolling on the River. I haven't yet seen this show but i am always amazed at the energy of the entire cast of this show!
After Tina, the presenters came back on stage and lead the famous West End Live Wave which is always a fun part of the event!
Jersey Boys was next and performed a megamix of all their shows. The choreography was brilliant and the entire cast amazing. It was good to have this back at West End Live! What made it even better was they sang my favourite Jersey Boys song, Big Girls Don't Cry!
The Drifters Girls was next on stage, with the amazing Beverley Knight. She performed Harlem Child and it was beautiful. I have always wanted to see her on stage, and this performance didnt disappoint
Mamma Mia was next to perform and every West End Live they deliver a breath-taking performance and this year was no different. The energy in the audience when this show performed was amazing, with everyone singing and dancing along.
The next was La Voix who is a drag performer was who promoting her one-person show. Her whole set was audience interaction, getting us all to sing along to Total Eclipse of the Heart. We all had to turn around and sway along. This one of my highlights of the event as it was so funny !
Bugsy Malone was next on stage and performed a selection of their songs. I didnt know anything about the show before this event, and after i did look up tickets to see it at my local theatre!
Magic Mike was next, and i don't really understand the inclusion of this show at the event. The stage show is not really a musical or a play, so I'm slightly confused why its there. I know i am not the target audience of this show,
The Choir of Man was next and not going to lie but this is one of favourites. I discovered this show at last years event and my love of the show has grown even more. They opened with Save Tonight/Wake Me Up. They then moved on to their hilarious version of Pina Colada, They closed with Some Nights, which i dare anybody not to sing along to.
After their first performance and thankyou's, they stayed on the stage and announced they was going to sing one more special song. They started giving clues and when they announed it was Heart of Stone from Six i just started crying. It got even better, as when they reached the first chorus the actual cast of Six joined them on stage! I apologise for the loud scream and the singing in the video below 😂
Six stayed on stage to perform No Way and the title song Six! This for me was the highlight of the entire day!!! You can tell there was a lot of love for the show as the entire audience was singing and dancing along!
Six was the last performance i saw on the Saturday as i had tickets to actually see Six after. Was even better as got to walk to the theatre alongside the actual cast!
The event also has various stands around the edge of the square offering food and drink and more importantly West End Live merchandise. This year there was T-Shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Pens, Keyrings and Pins.
So overall this year has got to be the best one i have attended. The atmosphere, energy and the amazing show on stage just made it perfect. If you love musical theatre i would highly recommend going to 2023's show! Next year i am already planning to stay for the entire Saturday, and for the first time seeing the entire Sunday setlist as well!
Comments