With a cast featuring London-based professionals, this show-stopping production is brilliant for lovers of classic and contemporary musicals. The five-piece cast presents a modern twist on a revue show, incorporating the dilemmas of organising such an event into their performance. Bursting onto the stage with their opening number Here Right Now from Ghost the Musical, this cast comprised of Vanessa Carr, Natalie Law, Emma Ralston, James Irving, and Will Hawksworth, are all equally strong and charismatic performers who go on to approach each song with great enthusiasm. Following the outstanding opening number comes songs from hit shows such as Spamalot, Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Worried that cheesy jazz hands and cringe worthy dance moves would dominate, Natalie Law quickly disperses this fear, comically mocking such dance sequences in her solo. Law’s comic timing was hilarious and her natural ability to perform definitely stood out in such a strong troupe. Emma Ralston’s impressive vocal range agilely displays her ability to master challenging songs in both duets and solos and produces a well-rounded professional performance. Another compelling piece was James Irving’s I’m Not That Smart, whose enthralling facial expressions and a jovial manner carried it off with great aplomb.
Ross Leadbeater knows his way around a tricky score and with his dexterous musical direction the dynamics and fluidity of the show never dips for a moment. One minor quibble would be that at times the musical accompaniment slightly drowned out the solo singing however, this did not affect the overall performance. West End at the Fringe is the perfect way to introduce newcomers to musicals as well as satisfying diehard fans.