Musicals: The Greatest Show – BBC1 and BBC iPlayer

Tina The Musical’s Aisha Jawando in Musicals: The Greatest Show. Pictures: BBC/Guy Levy

Musicals: The Greatest Show – BBC1 and BBC iPlayer (where it is available for a year).

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

As soon as the great Ramin Karimloo launched into a sublime ‘Music of the Night’, tears started rolling down cheeks and shivers tumbled like a waterfall down the spine. We were back in musical theatre heaven.

It’s almost a year since I saw a West End show and this 80-minute return trip, a shortened version of a two-hour BBC radio programme recorded at the London Palladium with an array of stars singing their hearts out, brought upfront what we have so poignantly been missing.

Sometimes a show delivers more than you have a right to expect and when wonderful Sheridan Smith came on in a sparkly gold dress, we knew we were in for a special showbiz evening. As host of Musicals: The Greatest Show she was exactly the warm presence needed.

Opening proceedings with ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ from Funny Girl, the Jule Styne-Bob Merrill musical she starred in at the Menier and Savoy, we were off to a flying start.

Later she teamed up with Amanda Holden on ‘I Know Him So Well’ and for those on Twitter grumbling Holden can’t sing, this emphatically said otherwise.

Elaine Paige, whose duet with Barbara Dickson on that Chess classic took it No. 1 on the 1985 UK singles chart, was in non-singing mode here, instead chatting to Idina Menzel of Wicked and Frozen fame in Los Angeles to discuss the listeners’ poll she conducted on her Sunday Radio 2 show to find their musical theatre favourites.

‘Defying Gravity’ – Menzel was London’s first Elphaba in 2006 and the highest-paid West End performer in the two months she was here – took third place in the poll behind ‘One Day More’ and ‘Bring It Home’, a one-two for Les Misérables.

Surprisingly, there was not even a Top Ten place for ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ which Lea Salonga, who played Eponine in both the Broadway and London productions, sang beautifully from her Manila home.

Layton Williams sang ‘The Wall in My Head’ from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

What a feast the BBC gave us, not only the legendary Salonga but superstars like Nicole Scherzinger (a fine version of ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman) and Michael Ball with ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’, the Hairspray anthem with spirited ensemble support that’s impossible not to clap along with or join in.

From the new generation came Sam Tutty, who went straight from Italia Conti drama school to West End lead in Dear Evan Hansen, and Layton Williams, with the superb ‘The Wall in My Head’ from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Tutty was supported by Nicole Raquel Dennis, Lucy Anderson and Jack Loxton on the moving ‘You Will Be Found’.

You couldn’t miss the in-your-face cast of Six, the pop musical that began at the Edinburgh Fringe and has soared to amazing international success. Sadly, on the day of its scheduled Broadway opening, Covid-19 shut down New York theatres. But you wouldn’t want to cross these fierce young ladies, so watch out Covid!

Here Courtney Bowman, Sophie Isaacs, Alexia McIntosh, Natalie Paris, Jarneia Richard-Noel and Danielle Steers, Henry VIII’s queens, belted out the title number while strictly observing social distancing in a reminder, if one were needed, that the killer virus is still with us and there’s still a while to go before theatreland can safely resume.

Sticking with the monarchy, the hilarious ‘He’ll Be Back’, with Gavin Spokes in crown and full George III regalia, gloriously represented London’s most-lauded musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s exquisite Hamilton. It was voted No. 1 on the night by my 12-year-old grandson.

The only new item was a taster of the upcoming Lloyd Webber musical Cinderella which is ready to open as soon as the all-clear is given. Newcomer Ivano Turco, the Urdang Academy graduate who plays Sebastian in the show, will be making his West End debut and on the evidence of ‘Only You, Lonely You’ can certainly sing.

Fans of all ages and hue had their moment in the spotlight when patched in from their homes singing along with Jac Yarrow in his Technicolor coat on ‘Any Dream Will Do’.

The cast of Dear Evan Hansen

I only have space to give little more than name checks to Nicole Raquel Dennis’ powerhouse ‘I Am Telling You’ from Dreamgirls, ‘Dancing Queen’ from Mamma Mia! performed by Mazz Murray, Kate Graham and Jo Napthine and, from Tina The Musical, a thrilling ‘The Best’ by Aisha Jawando.

Bringing the curtain down on a dazzling evening was Kerry Ellis, who took over Elphaba from Menzel, giving ‘Defying Gravity’ her all.

With the BBC Concert Orchestra under conductor Jon Ranger providing lavish arrangements and a particularly distinguished West End Ensemble (Sarah Accomando, Nicole Baisdon, Jonathon Bentley, Beth Berwick-Lowe, Jon Boydon, Ian Carlyle, Dean Chisnall, Scott Garnham, Erin Hair, Emma Hatton, Jenna Lee James, Sejal Keshwala, Connor McAllister, Joel Montague, Nathaniel Morrison and Miria Parvin) this was a classy occasion and anyone who failed to enjoy it needs to check whether their heart is still beating.

The whole show begs the question: why doesn’t TV put on more shows like this instead of some of the dreadful rubbish that’s on there now?

It is no coincidence that more than half the West End shows are musicals, most of them long-running ones, and no great surprise that 4.1 million tuned in to Musicals: The Greatest Show (just pipping Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? which ran alongside it on ITV) and that’s before counting the audience for the late-night repeat, those who will view it on BBC iPlayer or listened to the radio concert earlier in the week.

As Sheridan Smith said defiantly at the end: “No one or nothing is ever going to bring us down.” So, Covid, get back in your box and stay there. Theatreland is ready to rave.

Jeremy Chapman