Last October, the cast of Les Miserables staged a benefit cabaret night in aid of the AIDs-supporting charity, The Make A Difference Trust. Les Mis Gives... was a great success; so much so in fact, that last night they were at it again.
Les Mis Gives...Again returned to the Delfont Room at the Prince of Wales' Theatre, this time to raise money for the children's charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The cosy and intimate setting of the Delfont Room provided the perfect atmosphere for a night of banter, laughter and some general feel-good fun. Compering for the night was Scott Garnham, alongside Norm Lewis, both of whom were warm and inviting hosts whose amusing onstage exchanges and performance links saw the night running smoothly along.
There was not so much of the show tunes and ballads that can monopolise some cabarets; instead, the audience were mostly offered a variety of comedically entertaining performances, such as the one from Natalie Day and George Miller. Their duet of Cubicle of Love provided an enjoyable start to the evening, while other stand-out performances came from: Jay Bryce, accompanying himself on piano for the 'unofficial Cornish anthem', to the tune of The Grand Old Duke of York; the fast-paced turn from Mark Hedges and Chloe Brooks (whose vocals and expressive characterisation in her later version of Shy wac uncanny in their likeness to Julie Atherton) and Scott Garnham's rendition of the humerously witty Tim Minchin song, Inflatable You - bringing the inflatable 'Felicity' onstage with him at one point to a chorus of laughs.
Another of the night's highlights came from Garnham, who put together a quartet with Martin Neely, Matthew Seadon Young and Jay Bryce; their barbershop-style medley seamlessly ran through a diiverse array of songs, from Beyonce's Crazy in Love to Eminem's Slim Shady. Mention must be made here of the wonderfully talented MD Niall Bailey, who joined the Les Mis cast once again as the night's pianist and who can also take credit for the brilliantly creative arrangement.
The audience were further treated by a sneak preview of incoming cast member Lisa-Anne Wood, fresh from her first outing at the Classic Brit Awards earlier this month. She can be seen as Cosette from 23rd June, taking on the role straight out of the Guildford School of Acting (GSA) : as Scott Garnham quipped, 'it's not a bad first job!'. Wood has a lovely lower tone and easily reaches those high notes - one to look out for come June...
The appearance by another new cast member perhaps provided the biggest laughs of the night. Matt Lucas, Les Mis' next Thernadier when he joins the show next month for a twelve-week run, performed his unique version of The Impossible Dream. With Garnham and Lewis selecting written suggestions from a hat, they threw a variety of accents at him to incorporate into the song; to hilarious results. Ranging from Northern Irish to Glaswegian; from Lancashire to Kiwi - and not forgetting the inevitable showings of Little Britain characters Bubbles, Marjorie Dawes and Vicky Pollard (as well as a cheeky Alfie Boe impersonation) - it was a rendition the likes of which have never been heard, and I'm sure, never will be again.
Some of the bigger songs and voices perhaps did not benefit from such a small space, but with the exception of a few 'so-so' songs, all of the vocal performances delighted, dazzled and delivered; most notably those from Chloe Hart (an underated talent in this writer's opinion), Scott Garnham and of course, the sensation that is Norm Lewis.
The cast gave the audience a wonderfully enjoyable experience, which ended in the in the early hours with the pleasantly apt Sunday song and with 100% of the profits going to Great Ormond Street Hospital, Les Mis Gives...Again was a successful continuation of a valued and worthwhile event which one can only hope shall soon be seen again.
Remember...create, love, inspire!
Miss Julie
NOTE: Apologies if I made any song/performer mistakes - I did have a couple of glasses of wine while there... ;)
