A star-studded cast featuring Joe McElderry, Kerry Ellis, Nathan James, Jai McDowall and Lorna Luft paid homage to the soundtracks from some the world’s most beloved films and shows during An Evening of Movies and Musicals at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall this weekend.
Whilst the line-up might have looked somewhat random on paper, the mix of pop and theatre singers actually worked fantastically well in practice.
Former Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall kicked off proceedings with a powerful and emotional rendition of Anthem from Chess, which would easily have commanded a standing ovation if it had been performed on the West End stage. Whilst the Scottish singer initially looked nervous, he was clearly in his element when performing live to such an appreciative audience. Next up was Superstar contestant Nathan James who unleashed his commanding rock vocals on the audience through Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing and Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar.
As the daughter of Hollywood legend Judy Garland and sister of Liza Minnelli, it came as no surprise to find that Lorna Luft is a born star with an amazing voice. What did come as a surprise, however, was seeing just how witty and charismatic the Broadway performer really is. Her between-song banter was wonderful, whilst her vocal performances proved it’s about time Luft left the shadows of her famous relatives and became a widely known star in her own right.
It was clear from the off that a large portion of the audience was made up of (former star of The X Factpr) Joe McElderry fans, and they weren’t left disappointed as he performed The Circle of Life from The Lion King brilliantly. So brilliantly, in fact, that I’m sure he converted many other audience members to fans by the time the curtain fell. His performance of Unbreak My Heart (sung in both Spanish and English), on the other hand, sounded great but broke the flow of the evening as it didn’t seem to fit in with the theme of the concert.
Wicked star Kerry Ellis cemented her reputation as one of the best musical theatre stars in the country by delivering a stunning solo performance of Defying Gravity. She also performed two duets with Joe (Time of my Life and Beauty and the Beast), which came across well (save for the awful dancing), if somewhat cheesy.
A wonderful celebration of music and film, backed by a fantastic choir and 50-piece orchestra. An Evening of Movies and Musicals is tipped to visit Glasgow and Newcastle later this year, with dates to be confirmed.