Review: Beyond the Barricade, The Capitol

Beyond the Barricade have done it again.
Beyond the BarricadeBeyond the Barricade
Beyond the Barricade

The UK's favourite musical theatre concert tour visited the Capitol in Horsham and as per usual were a class act.

But this time they didn't just show their class, they added a bit of cool as well. You pretty much always know what to expect with Andy Reiss and company, but this time they dropped in a unexpected gem - It's Quiet Uptown from Hamilton - the Broadway smash which has not even opened in the West End yet.

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It was a beautiful rendition of the heart-breaking song and added an edge to their normally familiar set list.

The show has been going for 18 years and it's nice to see them keeping things fresh with songs I have haven't seen them do before (this is the eighth time I have seen them!). Someone to Watch Over Me from Crazy For You was a highlight from Poppy Tierney - although her standout moment was the Chicago Megamix.

David Fawcett's voice is as strong as ever and he shone in Music of the Night from Phantom and Anthem from Chess. And Katie Leeming's moment was the Blood Brothers section - she stood out in Easy Terms.

But as good as those three are - my personal standout moment was Andy's Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) from Jesus Christ Superstar - a tour de force (and his Stars from Les Mis wasn't bad either).

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The individual moments are all well and good, the show really comes alive when all four are on stage singing songs which are meant for a much bigger ensemble. ‘Masquerade’ (Phantom), ‘The Heat is on in Saigon’ (Miss Saigon) and ‘The Quintet’ (West Side Story) are all brilliantly done.

And what can I say about One Day More that I haven't said before. Epic.

They simply smash it our of the park (or theatre) every time.

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