York Musical Theatre Company celebrate the Queen's upcoming 90th birthday with a novel musical revue, celebrating some of the best musicals from each decade since the 1920s.
With a variety of tunes everyone across the generations is sure to recognise, as well as some forgotten gems of the West End and Broadway, the show is a nicely polished tribute to the Queen as well as an enjoyable night out.
The ensemble cast do an excellent job of transporting the audience through a century of musical numbers with occasional outfits to suit.
There are some excellent vocal talents in the company, and whilst the more modern musicals are slightly more upbeat and exciting, the likes of Kayleigh Oliver and Matthew Ainsborough can bring older numbers from musicals like No, No, Nannette to life once more with their arresting vocals.
Special mention must also go to the stars of the Noughties section: Kelly Derbyshire and Anna Mitchelson for 'What is this Feeling?' from Wicked, followed by Larry Gibson and Richard Bainbridge in 'Timeless to Me' from Hairspray. All four of these performers fully commit to their characters in each musical number, showcasing some fine acting talents alongside brilliant singing voices.
Fans of Hairspray will be glad to know that the casting choice of Edna is faithful to tradition, and it's a great look for Bainbridge. His bawdy enthusiasm plays up excellently to Gibson's crooning and the audience sees just how much fun the theatre company have putting on such delightful musical evenings.
Of course I must commend multiple threat Paul Laidlow who conceived of the show. Arranging musical numbers, playing piano and announcing the order of the evening with a voice that belongs on Radio 4, his talent is well worth recognising and has contributed to this show which I hope has an excellent final performance.
Louise Jones
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