Post by darren on Apr 23, 2016 17:05:16 GMT
The Knights of Music @ The Ipswich Regent
The Knights of Music hosted by the ever-popular Phillip Schofield visited The Ipswich Regent as part of a four date mini-tour of the UK. Joined by a cast of West End singers and supported by a small band this show features a mega-mix of songs originated by artists, producers and composers who have been royally recognised for their work.
Without doubt this is a star vehicle for Schofield and his name is clearly selling tickets as the theatre was around 80% full and the audience greeted him enthusiastically throughout the evening. He is an expert of his craft, engaging the audience with anecdotes, interacting and responding to audience shout outs and he gave the impression that a lot of his chat was unscripted. Especially nice was his praise for Ria Jones for taking over the role of Norma Desmond for Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard.
The show is split into segments covering the music of Elton John, Tom Jones, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Cameron Macintosh, James Bond and many more, sung by a cast of West End performers including Danielle Hope, Liam Doyle, Laura Tebbutt, Andy Coxon, Emily Jane Brooks and Simon Schofield.
The five (or six) piece band sounded impressive but overpowered the vocals and the audio mix was problematic from up on the dress circle. The musical arrangements were inconsistent and didn’t always flow nicely. The merging of Stars and I Dreamed A Dream in the Les Miserables section sounded dreadful and the vocal arrangement for One Day More was muddled. As most segments contained montages of songs the below-par musical composition became an issue. An overloud and heavy The Heat is On from Miss Saigon detracted from a lovely rendition of Why God Why.
If the audience were going to know any of the West End performers it will have been Danielle Hope (winner of BBC TVs Over The Rainbow). Having listened to Hope’s Live at 54 album showcasing her talent in cabaret in New York I was really looking forward to hearing her beautiful voice. I’m disappointed to say I felt her performance was below par. Hope’s voice was raspy with heavy vibrato and her performance of On My Own and Over The Rainbow was nothing like her West End performance in the actual show.
Andy Coxon and Simon Schofield gave standout performances with their strong vocals and excellent performances.
Having attended 100s of shows over the years this seemed under rehearsed. The movement on stage and choreography was muddled with too many mistakes. The staging was simplistic, the LED lighting passable and everything just seemed awkward.
The highlight of the evening was Phillip Schofield singing Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do supported by Simon Schofield. Schofield's vocals were really good and he gave the crowd what they wanted which earned him a standing ovation.
Overall this was a crowd-pleasing musical montage for an undemanding audience which without the star quality and fan club of Philip Schofield would relegate it to the level of cruise ship cabaret.
The Knights of Music hosted by the ever-popular Phillip Schofield visited The Ipswich Regent as part of a four date mini-tour of the UK. Joined by a cast of West End singers and supported by a small band this show features a mega-mix of songs originated by artists, producers and composers who have been royally recognised for their work.
Without doubt this is a star vehicle for Schofield and his name is clearly selling tickets as the theatre was around 80% full and the audience greeted him enthusiastically throughout the evening. He is an expert of his craft, engaging the audience with anecdotes, interacting and responding to audience shout outs and he gave the impression that a lot of his chat was unscripted. Especially nice was his praise for Ria Jones for taking over the role of Norma Desmond for Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard.
The show is split into segments covering the music of Elton John, Tom Jones, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Cameron Macintosh, James Bond and many more, sung by a cast of West End performers including Danielle Hope, Liam Doyle, Laura Tebbutt, Andy Coxon, Emily Jane Brooks and Simon Schofield.
The five (or six) piece band sounded impressive but overpowered the vocals and the audio mix was problematic from up on the dress circle. The musical arrangements were inconsistent and didn’t always flow nicely. The merging of Stars and I Dreamed A Dream in the Les Miserables section sounded dreadful and the vocal arrangement for One Day More was muddled. As most segments contained montages of songs the below-par musical composition became an issue. An overloud and heavy The Heat is On from Miss Saigon detracted from a lovely rendition of Why God Why.
If the audience were going to know any of the West End performers it will have been Danielle Hope (winner of BBC TVs Over The Rainbow). Having listened to Hope’s Live at 54 album showcasing her talent in cabaret in New York I was really looking forward to hearing her beautiful voice. I’m disappointed to say I felt her performance was below par. Hope’s voice was raspy with heavy vibrato and her performance of On My Own and Over The Rainbow was nothing like her West End performance in the actual show.
Andy Coxon and Simon Schofield gave standout performances with their strong vocals and excellent performances.
Having attended 100s of shows over the years this seemed under rehearsed. The movement on stage and choreography was muddled with too many mistakes. The staging was simplistic, the LED lighting passable and everything just seemed awkward.
The highlight of the evening was Phillip Schofield singing Close Every Door and Any Dream Will Do supported by Simon Schofield. Schofield's vocals were really good and he gave the crowd what they wanted which earned him a standing ovation.
Overall this was a crowd-pleasing musical montage for an undemanding audience which without the star quality and fan club of Philip Schofield would relegate it to the level of cruise ship cabaret.
