The Sunday Night Variety Show – Charing Cross Theatre

Christina Bianco and Lee Ormsby (below). Pictures: Roger Alarcon

The Sunday Night Variety Show at the Charing Cross Theatre, London.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

What an absolute treat. The Sunday Night Variety Show was a masterclass in musical theatre performance, featuring some of the West End’s finest talent delivering showstopping number after showstopping number. 

From the moment Lee Ormsby, co-producer and MC of the event, opened the show with ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’, the energy in the intimate Charing Cross Theatre was electric. The Starlight Big Band, led by the brilliant Colin Welch and Jon Cox, provided lush, sophisticated accompaniment throughout the evening, with the horn section (featuring standout work from the saxophones and trumpets) giving each number authentic big band swing and power. 

Ben Ashley brought genuine emotion to ‘All Night Long’ and later had the audience in raptures with ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Wonderwall’ in Act II. His vocal control and stage presence were remarkable.

Chloe Thiel’s rendition of ‘Someone Like You’ from Jekyll & Hyde was beautifully understated, while her ‘Anything Goes’ showed impressive versatility – too bad there was no choreography nor tap dancing involved in that one. 

Michael Pegg delivered powerhouse performances of ‘If I Can Dream’, demonstrating why he’s such a sought-after performer, and Nikki Miller brought the house down with ‘Orange Colored Sky’ and ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’, before her Act II showstopper ‘When You’re Good to Mama’ from Chicago. She also performed a Phantom of the Opera duet with Ormsby, the perfect phantom!

Stuart Sneade charmed with ‘Lily’s Eyes’ and brought a touching vulnerability to ‘A Foggy Day’, and ‘Waving Through a Window’ from Dear Evan Hansen took a different meaning when sung by a more mature man. Imi Price’s ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ was genuinely moving, and her ‘Buddie Beware’ benefited from Ormsby’s special arrangement. 

The irrepressible Christina Bianco, known for her incredible vocal impressions, delighted us with ‘Get Happy’, ‘The Song is You’ and ‘Goldfinger’ and then closed Act II with a ‘I’m Gonna Live Till I Die’ the haunting ‘If He Walked Into My Life’ from Mame (using the Eydie Gormé orchestrations) and ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ from Funny Girl, which she starred in in Paris in 2019. 

The other icing on the cake was Cory English, current star of Back to the Future, here bringing soulful warmth to Harry Connick Jr’s ‘We Are in Love’ and ‘Soul Man’ and delivering a stirring ‘The Curse of An Aching Heart’. In his Act II ‘Mr Pinstripe Suit’, he brought his 13-year-old son Cosmo onstage, who turned out to be a spectacular tap dancer. 

The finale brought everyone together for a rousing ‘New York, New York’ that had the entire audience on their feet. Special mention must go to the exceptional musicians: Ben Croft on piano, Daniel Dibden on keys, Paul Steed on guitar, Jules Cowie on bass guitar and Tim Reyland on drums provided flawless support throughout. 

Thanks to Miles Fisher and Ormsby for putting together this topnotch variety entertainment – a glorious celebration of musical theatre that left everyone begging for more.

Patrick Honoré