A stunning cast sang their lungs out and danced their legs off in Bev Jones's Spectacular 2, to the delight of a packed house.

Although the first song and a few others were muffled by poor sound and slightly over-exuberant playing, the show far exceeded expectations.

Stand-out performances were numerous. Sophie Young held the audience rapt, despite wearing a distracting tea cosy on her head during Circle Of Life.

Beverley Goring's operatic soarings were exceptional, especially during Climb Every Mountain, and a strong duet of The Pearal Fishers, by John Hall and Sonny Sweeting, received some of the most enthusiastic applause of the night.

Angelic singing by Sally Lewis in It's A Beautiful Day was accompanied by superb dancing. The performers clearly had the most fun during this piece with their jingling belly-dancing costumes and Bollywood-style dancing.

Alistair Barron managed to enliven a couple of the lamest pub songs in history - Angels and You Raise Me Up - with a confident performance somewhere between Elvis and Gary Barlow. A surprise falsetto from Iain Harvey in Gethsemane was also a big crowd-pleaser.

The Miss Saigon Medley was very impressive, Harriet Hare displaying remarkable chutzpah in a bikini-clad solo during The Heat is On. This was balanced later by a beautifully pure vocal performance of Wishing You Were Somewhere Here Again and her fluid dancing caught the eye throughout the show.

Bui-Doi, a moving song about abandoned children in war-torn Vietnam, was led powerfully by "President" Terry Ford, supported by a passionate cast.

But the best performance of the night came from Sam Coulson singing Why God Why? with palpable emotion and dazzling charisma.

Skilful pacing and high-calibre production values ensured Showtime Spectacular 2 was not just a spectacle, but a show that left its audience bewitched.

Jennifer McKiernan

  • Showtime Spectacular 2, Northern Musical Theatre Company, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until tomorrow. Performances 7.30pm tonight, 2.30 pm and 7.30pm tomorrow. Box office 01904 623568.