The Barricade Boys – Christmas Cabaret continues at The Other Palace, London until 23 December.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
The Barricade Boys are back for a festive three-week season at The Other Palace.
The quartet was launched by Scott Garnham and Simon Schofield in 2015 and brings together some of the finest Les Misérables alumni (Kieran Brown and Craig Mather) from the West End, international tour and 25th anniversary production.
The boys have toured their way around the world with their cabaret and appeared on TV shows such as The Paul O’Grady Show, Sunday Night at the Palladium, Children in Need and Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. Now they have returned home to provide some much-needed Christmas cheer with a selection of show tunes, pop, rock and of course Christmas numbers.
The show normally tours with a seven-piece band, but for this Christmas special it has been stripped down to just one piano played by musical director Noam Galperin. The fireplace projected onto the wall behind the boys and the Christmas tree in the corner of the stage seems rather homely and becomes the setting for one of this year’s greatest Christmas parties.
As expected from Les Mis alumni, the classics are covered, ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ , ‘Bring Him Home’ and a wonderful jazzed-up arrangement for ‘Master of the House’.
However, The Barricade Boys showcase the full range of their talents with their own take on a Blues Brothers medley and a ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘Great Balls of Fire’ mash-up. Their soulful take on ‘Man in the Mirror’ is stunning and Garnham’s version of Bon Jovi’s ‘It’s My Life’ sounds as if Hugh Jackman has joined the band and introduced jazz hands into the world of rock. Even their rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ deserves a special mention for showing off so much of their range in just one song.
You could hardly have a Christmas show without talking about the festive tunes. The arrangements are spectacular but some that stand out in particular are ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘White Christmas.’
Every night a different West End star will join the boys on stage with Michael Xavier being the guest on this particular night. He sang ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ beautifully before joining the others to sing a very special Les Mis version of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’.
The show ends with a medley of Christmas songs that have appeared in the charts over the decades and really gets the audience in the party spirit. It’s impossible not to sing along with ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ or ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’.
As well as some stellar vocals, the troop’s quick wit and natural rapport provide for a great evening of entertainment. They offer some much-needed Christmas cheer. This has got to be one of the best parties you can go to this festive season.
Tal Fox
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