Graduates at Cadogan Hall

Pictures: Danny Kaan

Graduates at Cadogan Hall, available to stream until 28 March 2021.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Some people say that an actor must experience real-life hardship to deliver a convincingly three-dimensional performance on stage. If that were true, last year’s musical theatre graduates – who emerged from their education into a devastated industry with no work and an uncertain future – would be absolutely phenomenal talents across the board. On the basis of these hugely enjoyable showcase concerts from Cadogan Hall, that appears to be exactly the case.

Producer Ameena Hamid has struck a commendable balance here. These three concerts have plenty of star power provided by the West End star hosts Grace Mouat, Luke Bayer and Courtney Bowman, and the video contributions from theatre legends including Gary Wilmot, Juliet Stevenson, Bonnie Langford and Judi Dench. All deliver touching tributes to the remarkable young talents they are supporting. However, it is the new graduates who steal the show.

Each individual performance is like watching the climactic scene of a movie where the protagonist finally defeats the monster or wins at the sports ball game in a moment of brilliance only possible because of what they have been through over their difficult journey. Beyond the understandable boost of having something to prove and only one outlet in which to prove it, these are sublimely gifted artists.

The song selections are diverse enough that truly there is something for everyone. It feels as though the performers have chosen numbers with which they have a connection, and they sing with confidence. As a fan and aspiring composer of narrative musical theatre, it is one thing to consider how you would enjoy seeing a new actor cast in a certain role, but quite another to find yourself wanting to sit through an entire concert of them just singing whatever the heck they wanted.

It cannot be stressed enough: These performers are wonderful and should be cast in everything immediately. Put their name at the top of the poster and I will buy a ticket for any nonsense show you produce. Their Spotlight profiles and agents’ details are all there to find in the programme. Do it.

Your personal highlights will surely vary, but here are some of mine from just the first of the three concerts:

Karen Wilkinson stuns with her masterful vocals on the harmonically difficult but incredibly lush ‘Light in the Piazza’. If and when these performances end up on YouTube, that video will be on constant repeat for me. Jay Worley performs a convincing ‘Finishing the Hat’ from Sunday in the Park With George, a conceptually tricky song that allows him to show off some marvellous acting through song. Sam Rippon’s ‘I’d Rather be Sailing’ from A New Brain is absolutely endearing and instantly made me download a cast recording for a show I am not familiar with – the highest possible achievement for any revue performance.

‘She Used to be Mine’ from Waitress is the quintessential showstopping number, and Alice Croft deserves the utmost of praise for making it a showstopper even in this evening of unrelenting showstoppers. Millie Cranston has the daunting task of being programmed directly after this, but makes the moment her own and excels with a heartfelt and connecting ‘Heart of Stone’ from Six. The final performer of the evening is Kyle Birch, who sings ‘Home’ from The Wiz with an emotional intelligence and delicacy that is usually only found in the most seasoned of performers.

And maybe it’s just because it pandered to my twin true loves of Anaïs Mitchell and harp-playing, but Aoife O’Dea’s medley of numbers from Hadestown made me hit rewind to enjoy again even before the end of the concert. Not only is her technical mastery of her instruments impeccable, but her characterisation in each snippet of song is spot on. She has put together a mini-highlight reel of her versatility, effortlessly switching from the desperation and new love of Eurydice to the New Orleans cool of Hermes. Whether she ends up on the West End stage, as a recording artist, or charming the gods of the underworld with her lyre, she has quite the future ahead of her.

Each song is accompanied by sensational musical director Sam Young on piano. The masterful dynamics of his playing are captured perfectly and the whole sonic experience is a delight. There is no selfishness with his playing. Every arrangement is what works best for the singer: simple where simple is required, and complex and virtuosic only where this enhances the performance as a whole.

Of course, it is a myth that real-life hardship is necessary to be a great performer. However, it is clear that the last year of hardship has given these young performers a spark that these exceptional concerts have managed to capture in crisp HD. To sweeten the deal, if you purchase a stream you will be contributing to the wonderful charity that is Acting for Others. We will be seeing these performers absolutely everywhere in a few years anyway, might as well get in on the ground floor…

Ian Bowkett