Pictures: Nick Rutter
Girlfriends in Concert continues at the Bishopsgate Institute, London until 3 November 2018.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
With a five star cast led by Lucie Jones and Lauren Samuels this performance is unmissable. If you by some chance you can’t get along, then it’s being recorded live for release on CD.
With new orchestrations by librettist, composer and lyricist Howard Goodall along with Simon Nathan, to hear the cast of nine women and two men sing this beautiful score is a real joy.
Jones’ voice is one of great beauty, and allied with a warm personality she shows us her acting talents too. Samuels sings with great intensity and is the perfect foil in the rather thin storyline over a love tussle during the Second World War.
The rest of the cast of seven women shine in each of their roles, with voices illustrating their pedigree as West End performers. Vikki Stone, better known as a comedian, shows us she can really sing, and Lizzie Wofford makes the most of her role as the martinet keeping the women in order.
Natasha Barnes adds to this superb cast with her role as Sally. Bronté Barbé completes the sextet of leads, and the ensemble of Lisa Bridge, Charlotte Clitherow and Tara Divina all shine as supporting characters.
Rob Houchen and Chris McGuigan are the two men in this tale. Houchen’s beautiful lyric tenor is well used and he convinces with his changing loyalties to the women with whom he is involved. As beautiful as the women’s singing is, it’s a welcome contrast when the male voices intervene.
Group Captain Victoria Gosling OBE sets the era with her poignant narration. Her warm, natural, heartfelt style adds immensely to the evening. She reminds us that 80 years ago, with all of Europe occupied by invading forces, Britain was poised for a catastrophic invasion which seemed inevitable.
How the women as much as the men rallied to the cause and helped win the war, leaving their lives of domesticity to take on roles they had never envisaged, is a sterling reminder, as we contemplate a new relationship with Europe, that the impossible can happen.
It’s not all stiff upper lip and noble cause though, as she reminds us of the class distinctions that soon manifested themselves and the angst of sexual activity that was happening everywhere but not spoken of.
Girlfriends lacks theatrical impetus. Even a fully staged production might struggle to make it work as a piece of music theatre, with its slender plot. However, as a kind of song cycle, with a linking theme, this concert performance is a huge success.
The staging by Bronagh Lagan is simple but effective, with the performers subtly characterising their roles. Costumes simply evoke the time, with the hairstyles influenced by the period.
And then we have a 19-piece orchestra conducted by Freddie Tapner. The London Musical Theatre Orchestra relishes this score in the warm acoustic of the Bishopsgate Institute. A venue new to me, it’s a great addition to the increasing number of venues playing home to musical theatre performances around London. The bar situated in the library adds to the ambience!
Goodall’s score of choral numbers interspersed with ballads and duets gives us a feast of great singing. March tempos intervene, as in Wofford’s ‘Jump’, we hear echoes of Glenn Miller. And then we get great ballads and duets, such as ‘Save My Life a Second Time’ and ‘Remember You Wanted Me’. With 25 listed numbers, one longs to hear them all again.
Leon Ferguson
* Two remaining performances take place today (Saturday 3 November 2018) at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.