The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber – Leicester Curve

Picture: Ellie Kurttz

The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber continues at Leicester Curve until 19 June 2021.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It’s easy to forget, when examining the legend of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the sheer proliferation of work which has gone into a career spanning decades.

Not to worry – Nikolai Foster and Leicester Curve have been hard at work preparing a feast of riches to remind us what it’s all about.

And what a bounty of a cast it is – from Joseph to Judas, Phantom to Peron, Giulietta to Grizabella, these are (almost) all stalwarts of the Lloyd Webber repertoire and shining lights of productions past.

Ria Jones briefly returns to her portray of Norma Desmond (as recently seen in Curve’s At Home production of Sunset Boulevard), beautifully vulnerable in the role, most notably during ‘As if We Never Said Goodbye’.

Considering our long-awaited return to theatre, it would be easy to lay it on thick, but Jones is a supreme storyteller and tempers our outpouring with a powerhouse ‘Memory’ instead.

Jessica Daley’s incredible range is on fire as she makes light work of Christine Daaé, and even the triple-octave span of Song and Dance’s ‘Unexpected Song’, while an injured-but-determined Karen Mavundukure makes for a gorgeous listen as Mary Magdalene.

Madalena Alberto too, bursts with energy as she takes Evita firmly by the scruff of the neck – whipping up a thunder-voiced tempest as Eva Peron.

We’re also treated to a fantastic performance from rising star Shem Omari James, immediately dazzling as Judas, with a golden voice and a punchy presence.

Tim Howar, with that rare alchemy of talent and generosity, takes several standout turns as The Phantom, every bit serving the song. Taking up the mantle then is Tim Rogers, who helped to create the Phantom’s role in Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, and treats us to a passionate ‘Til I Hear You Sing’.

All set about the Curve’s swanky new revolve, Ben Cracknell’s lighting design takes the whole thing to epic proportions.

Woven as a pre-record between the numbers, Lloyd Webber recalls and reminisces on his material. It’s glorious, not only to learn more about the constructions of his musicals, but about the failures and the phoenixes too.

There are some great surprises – cellist Natalie Hancock artfully masters the angularity and intensity of a seldom heard ‘Rachmaninoff Var XVIII (A major)’, and we also get to see the Curve Youth and Community Company join us – all fantastic young performers with great commitment and a zest for the material. Among them is Alyshia Dhakk, demonstrating a beautifully pure tone to mark a poignant tribute with ‘Pie Jesu’.

Of course, nothing’s perfect. The a cappella opening, though beautifully constructed, needs a little more precise execution, and costumes left a little invention wanting, but these are trifles.

This is a shining musical revue, and a resonant carnival of high-calibre music, cast, direction, set, innovation and heart. It goes on to make what could have been a conveyor belt of torch songs into a genuinely moving tribute to the man, the stories and the music. This is your sign to go.

Aura Simon