Manchester is home to some fantastic venues, each proudly staging an assortment of entertainment to suit their audiences.
The Bridgewater Hall is no different and once again, the magnificent Hallé Orchestra produced another night of top class music.
Musicals Rock was the latest offering from the Manchester-based orchestra, who never fail to light up every venue they visit.
The concert, conducted by Alfonso Casado Trigo, took the audience through an array of some of the most well known classic tunes from the world of musical theatre.
It started with the overture from Mamma Mia! which included some of the best tunes from the Abba-inspired musical.
This set the tone of the evening, with the audience told that they could dance and sing (within moderation!). This brought a few wry smiles and titters amongst the packed auditorium.
The concert got into full flow with the uplifting What A Feeling from Flashdance, sung by the Hallé’s singers for the evening - Emma Kingston, Debbie Kurup, David Thaxton and Ricardo Afonso.
This was following by the jaunty Buenos Aires from Evita and the power ballad I Will Always Love You from The Bodyguard, which was recently on stage just down the road at The Palace Theatre.
The 70s’ smash hit Tommy bounced onto the stage with Ricardo Afonso rocking out Pinball Wizard.
ON SONG: The quartet of singers with the Hallé Orchestra
Then, possibly a highlight for many in the audience, was Emma Kingston’s impeccable rendition of Let It Go from Frozen. She didn’t put a note wrong as she complemented the lilting tune played by the Hallé. It was absolutely outstanding.
We were then treated to tunes from Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with the audience singing along to the iconic I Will Survive, before the end came to a close with another rousing medley of tunes from Mamma Mia!
The second half started with The Final Countdown overture from Rock of Ages.
Then, it was time to get those leg warmers on as Fame burst onto the stage, with the Hallé’s string section shining in their rendition of the 80s’ classic.
The Hallé then ramped it up a bit with Where Did The Rock Go? from School of Rock and Queen’s Radio Ga Ga from We Will Rock You - of course by this time members of the audience were on their feet, dancing and singing along. Bat of Hell didn’t disappoint either!
One of the songs I was looking forward to hearing from the Hallé was the beautiful Defying Gravity from Wicked.
It was definitely worth the wait as Emma Kingston’s voice was on point with all the high notes.
The night ended with We Go Together from Grease and an encore of the Time Warp.
I had my teenage daughter with me and I was amazed at how many tunes she actually knew - she is a huge musical theatre fan so songs which I put back in the 70s, 80s etc she knew from her visits to the theatre.
One of her favourite musicals, Dear Evan Hansen which she saw in the West End last year, was also featured with the melodic and moving You Will Be Found, sung by David Thaxton.
The whole evening was a joy from start to finish and one which the audience fully enjoyed, judging by the amount of dancing at the end!
Visit https://www.halle.co.uk for more on the Hallé Orchestra.
