BWW Reviews: AN EVENING OF MOVIES AND MUSICALS, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, April 19 2014

Edinburgh's Usher Hall was packed for An Evening Of Movies And Musicals - both onstage and off. With a star-studded line-up from both theatre and pop music, a 50 piece orchestra and a choir of 150, the stage was busy to say the least!

First up onstage was Britain's Got Talent winner Jai McDowall. He appeared nervous but quickly gained his confidence during a fantastic performance of Anthem from Chess and later a number from Miss Saigon.

As the title suggests, it wasn't just songs from the musicals. The orchestra played music from films such as Star Wars, Forrest Gump and Braveheart. While the arrangements were excellent, I found my interest waning slightly during these pieces and preferred the musical anthems. There are few things that excite me more than a musical medley and the choir certainly delivered on that front. Act one saw an incredible Evita medley and in the second half a more upbeat Hairspray one.

West End superstar Kerry Ellis got a well deserved amount of stage time. We were treated to Somebody to Love accompanied by a full choir, and then two duets with Joe McElderry - Time Of My Life (ranking fairly high on the cheese-ometer) and a stunning theme tune from Beauty and the Beast. Her signature song Defying Gravity was performed with the orchestra and prompted a standing ovation mid-show.

X Factor winner McElderry was perhaps a slightly unusual casting choice; while he has a pleasant voice and gave an enthusiastic performance his legion of fans in the audience seemed disinterested in the other acts. He was billed as the lead for this performance which was surprising as he hasn't had a West End career and the other male vocals were a lot stronger than his. Completely out of place in the set was a Spanish rendition of Unbreak My Heart but it seemed to thrill his fans.

Perhaps the biggest name on stage for theatre fans was the legendary Lorna Luft. While she didn't have the strongest voice onstage she injected a lot of personality into her performance. Telling anecdotes about her mother Judy Garland and making jokes, she certainly seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The Les Miserables finale was absolutely stunning. Starting off with Ellis singing I Dreamed A Dream and the whole cast and choir finishing with One Day More it was a fitting end to a wonderful evening.

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