West End Cast Party is part of a series of genre-themed nights hosted by the live music venue QT. The basement bar underneath the Middle Eight hotel offers a calm ambience with a stage to fill out a band and two singers. It provides a glitzy platform for superb singing covering West End classics. The evening also features talented solos from the guitarist, bassist, pianist, and drummer, making the crowd smile.
Before getting into the details of the evening, it must be said, QT Presents: West End Cast Party is not what is promised on paper. The programme to date still promises a variety of leading West End stars hosted by Emma Hatton, a musical theatre legend known for playing Elphaba in Wicked and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You. Unfortunately, there must have been some complications in arrangements and the promised variety of West End performers transformed into the live singer Kristin Hossein and the original co-host Nick Shirm.
With quite a few shoes to fill, the two performers elegantly saved the night with their powerful voices. They showed great harmonizing and energy with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” from Jersey Boys. Nick Shirm’s voice is full of crispiness and soul. The singer hit his stride in performing a swing version of “Power of Love” from Back To The Future. It was too funky to not resist tapping your feet. Kristin showed her impressive range in “Natural Woman” from the musical Beautiful, that will make people’s jaws drop.
It is unclear if the show will live to its full potential and feature a complete collection of West End stars. The evening is enjoyable, nevertheless, it has put itself in an overcrowded space of West End-themed evenings. The difference is that the ticket price still reflects what was previously promised with drink prices found in a West End nightclub. Apart from those hiccups, the singers and band make the audience want to dance the night away.
It runs until 24th April. Tickets: here.
Review: Ramsey Baghdadi