Hadley Fraser Takes The Stage At Cadogan Hall

“We’ll do the raffle in about half an hour, but first we’ll play a few songs if that’s alright?” One foot on stage and the mood is set. What would ensue is over two hours and a half of spitfire banter and fire tunes. It’s rare for performers to be found anywhere on nights when their theatres are dark, but Fraser took over Cadogan Hall for a rare solo concert whilst off from his West End run of The Deep Blue Sea. It was the “delayed launch gig” that he teased when we spoke to him in February. Self-effacing from the get-go, he went on to sing prime choices from all three studio recordings of his, noticing leitmotifs in the themes and delighting the audience with surprise guests.

‘World On A String’ kicked off the set list, followed by Crowded House’s ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ right into ‘In The Wee Small Hours’ – a change in pace and register worthy of the best whiplash. Accompanied by collaborator Sam Young and a seven-piece band, these weren’t the songs people knew. We had a taste of what Young could do in Fraser’s album Things That Come and Go, but last night was on a whole different level with sublime arrangements and tremendous musical choices. We heard Fraser’s interpretation of ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ in Lights Around The Shore, but Young’s touch reinvented Sondheim into a touching jazz ballad. Fraser snickered, faking an apology and an eye roll for including musical theatre tunes – it was only the first jab at that side of his world.

It was soon time to welcome Maiya Quansah-Breed to the stage, who had just stepped off a plane. With crackling chemistry and a joke or two on Sinatra’s long list of extramarital activities, they went into ‘How Are You Fixed For Love’ and the Gordon Jenkins-penned ‘Goodbye’ as an incredible pairing of voices. Solo again, Fraser took flight with Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ before coming back to earth with ‘I’m a Fool to Want You’. Feet firmly on the ground, he introduced “A voice that was sent from outer space”, aka Natalie Paris.

As fans will know, Fraser had a “very small” role in Disney’s controversial live-action adaptation of Snow White. It didn’t go unmentioned, so one (tasteful) gag followed the next. “The film had a mixed reception…” he started, the crowd raring for him to go, “We’ll try to reclaim that tonight” before Paris delivered a magical rendition of ‘Waiting on a Wish’ (originally sung by Rachel Zegler, who’s officially begun previews in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita). They shared another number from a musical (“But don’t judge it!”), a duet of “She Used To Be Mine” as performed by Sara Bareilles and Rufus Wainwright (yes, there were a few jabs at Opening Night too).

We journeyed back many years after the interval, with the audience divided into a three-part harmony for ‘Just Let Go’, from Fraser’s eponymous EP. The trip down memory lane continued, with Bob Dylan’s ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’, a track he’d regularly sing at gigs a decade ago. Adam Guettel’s ‘How Glory Goes’ from the musical Floyd Collins greeted back the full band for more nostalgia, before amusing segues joined ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Accustomed To Her Face’, and ‘Friday on My Mind’. 

To tie up the evening, Fraser had one last trick up his sleeve. “It was very hard to convince my next guest when I asked her at the breakfast table, primarily because she’s off being a television star these days, so she’s not singing as much” he said before calling to the stage his wife Rosalie Craig, stunning as always, for an “extra special” performance of ‘On Constellation Street’. The piece was written when the couple started dating and it was the first time they played it together with their daughter in attendance.

All previous guests joined in for ‘Herne and the Red Kite’, a sophisticated folk tune from Just Let Go, before Fraser ended on a high with Bill Evans’s ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ as a quick wrap-up. Hopefully this won’t be a one-off for the performer, who’s proven himself to be a charismatic and frankly hilarious musical artist over and over again.

Follow this link to listen and buy Things That Come and Go.