Some Enchanted Evening | Richmond Theatre

Join the English Musical Theatre Orchestra, a group of 26 musicians and 2 incredible singers as they explore what are arguably some of musical theatre’s most beautiful works. From Rodgers and Hammerstein’s lesser known Cinderella to 1920’s Show Boat, this collective delves deeply into the works, offering the audience an enchanting evening of pure musical bliss.

The evening opened with the overture from My Fair Lady, after which the conductor introduced the artists and the first show they were about to dive into. With humour and lots of fun facts to share, the conductor offered the audience a friendly hand to immerse them into the magic as much as humanly possible. Amidst the beautiful flutes of Oklahoma’s ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning,’ we see Roy Locke making an entrance and from the first note he sang, the audience was completely entranced.

Locke’s performance throughout was masterful. From tackling the youthful naivety of Tony’s voice in the iconic ‘Balcony Scene’ from West Side Story to the powerful nonchalance of Billy from Carousel, Locke has proven that he can do it all. The same can be said about his stage partner, Lisa Jane Kelsey. If one were forced to nit-pick their performance, there were some points where it seemed like both were trying to out-perform each other, rather than trying to sing together as one. Now, this may be done purposefully, and in any case, this was nothing more than a minor slip in the otherwise perfect show.

Someone pointed out to me that a concert that proposes music as specific as Golden Age Musical Theatre will struggle to appeal to the masses - and I’d agree to a certain extent. Although many may not know ‘The Stepsister’s Lament’ from Cinderella or ‘Old Man River’ from Showboat, the timelessness of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s music guarantees that they may at least recognise the chants from Carousel’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ or even The Sound of Music’s ‘My Favourite Things.’

Above the stage at the Richmond Theatre, you can read the words ‘To Wake The Soul By Tender Strokes Of Art,’ and quite frankly, no words could be more fitting to describe this experience.

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Skye Wang