Review: LOVE LIFE: WEST END UNITES AGAINST CANCER, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Photo credit: Dave Benett
In your life, you’ll get the chance to attend a few concerts that are good, a couple that are great, and maybe, if you’re lucky, one that leaves you feeling like you’ve just witnessed history being made. Love Life: One for the Boys is exactly that kind of concert.
This special one-off charity performance in aid of One for the Boys brought together a huge slice of the West End theatre community not just to belt out songs, but to talk about something that far too many people – men especially – don’t talk about: cancer. This was a show aimed at bringing visibility about the disease and early diagnosis front and centre, and it managed to do it in the most spectacular way.
The line-up, including Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Joel Montague, Ramin Karimloo, Bella Brown, Lucie Jones, Alex Newell Giles Terrara, Jordan Luke Gage, Diego Andres Rodriguez, James Olivas, Ben Joyce, Melanie La Barrie, and David Thaxton was jaw-dropping, and it was exciting to see who was coming on stage next, let alone what they were going to sing. Name after name after beloved name arrived and blew the roof off – a fantasy West End playlist if ever there was one.
It’s hard to pick any standout moments from a show that was one big standout, but as someone who still sorely misses Sunset Boulevard, getting to see Nicole Scherzinger perform ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ one more time was enough to bring tears to the eyes (and the following standing ovation proved just how welcome it was for others too).
Tom Francis’ ‘Heaven On My Mind’ from Jesus Christ Superstar was the kind of performance that made you forget everything else happening around you – his range is thrilling, and the passion behind his performance was glorious.
Then there was Carrie Hope Fletcher and Joel Montague’s rendition of ‘Suddenly Seymour’ from Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a beautiful song when it’s done right, and this was done right – it was warm, loving, and vocally stunning. You could feel how much the audience enjoyed the pair on stage together.
And of course, there was the wonderful hit of nostalgia for the summer just gone with the Evita cast of Bella Brown, James Olivas, and Diego Andres Rodriguez singing ‘What I Did For Love’ from A Chorus Line. The three on them on stage took us right back to warmer days, lighter evenings, and the knowledge that what was happening at the Palladium was an event that would never be repeated. Well, in this concert, we got the smallest glimpse of it back again, and the shared memory is clearly still treasured by so many of the people in that auditorium if the audience response was anything to go by.
What made the whole evening fly rather than blur into one (admittedly wonderful) performance is how well it’s run. Alan Williams keeps the orchestra driving things forward, and Rupert Hands gives the night its shape and momentum, so it never slips into stop-start mode. That means the audience can properly focus on the performances, which is exactly how it should be.
And underneath it all is the reason for being there. One for the Boys’ work around cancer and early detection gives the night its purpose, and the stories from people who’ve experienced the disease, the charity, and what it means, were heartfelt and emotional, giving the evening meaning without dampening the sense of celebration.
After a show like that, you leave feeling energised, a little overwhelmed, and very glad you were there.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Lisamarie Lamb