Lyric Theatre, London – 17 February 2025
Reviewed by Emily Smith
4****
Taking over the Lyric Theatre (home to Hadestown) for one night only, West End Musical Love Songs offered an evening of beautiful music from some of the West End’s biggest stars. From the producers of West End Musical Brunch, West End Musical Halloween, West End Musical Christmas and Musical Con (to name a few), this particular show was a romantic dive into some of the most well-loved romantic songs from musicals and films.
The show was opened by a saxophonist who delivered a beautiful solo of Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King. The evening was hosted by Aimie Atkinson (SIX, Pretty Woman: The Musical) who, from the moment she entered the stage, had an infectious energy. Aimie treated us to her version of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow from Beautiful the Carole King Musical before introducing the first special guest. Throughout the evening Aimie kept the audience engaged and encouraged interaction, dancing and signing along, though I’m pleased to say the audience mostly took advantage of this in the second half when the music took a more lively turn.
The special guests (which we’ll come on to!) were well chosen for their individual vocal talents that complemented one another allowing the audience to experience a variety of songs from well-known musicals and films. There was no live band, only the saxophonist, which for me is one thing that could have really elevated the evening. While the first half was full of classic love songs, often ballads, the second half was much more upbeat. Personally, I would have been happy listening to more classic songs throughout the whole show, but this tale of two halves brought a change in pace that made for a fun night out! The stage was simple – covered in red heart helium balloons – which, whilst not particularly ground-breaking, offered a nice backdrop for the performers.
Throughout the evening, four special guests performed a selection of songs, showcasing their adaptability and vocal talent. The absolute standout of the evening was Merryl Ansah (Lion King and Heathers) who perfectly performed a one-woman rendition of Helpless from Hamilton, followed by I Will Always Love You (The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston) with live saxophone accompaniment. In the second half, Merryl continued to demonstrate her phenomenal vocal talents with Love You I Do from Dreamgirls and Believe (Cher). Merryl’s performances were the highlight of my evening and they were delivered with such a confidence… she belonged on that stage!
Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) treated us to Both Sides Now from Love Actually (Joni Mitchell) and When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 in the first half, both of which demonstrated his impressive vocal range. However, he really came to life in the second half when performing the more upbeat numbers Brown Eyed Girl from Sleeping With The Enemy (Van Morrison) and I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) from soon-to-open-in-London show Hercules.
Laura Pick (Wicked) showcased her powerhouse vocals while performing My Heart Will Go On from Titanic (Céline Dion), Almost Like Being In Love (Brigadoon), Somebody To Love (We Will Rock You, Queen) and River Deep, Mountain High (TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Tina Turner). She also performed a duet with Aimie Atkinson of No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) to open the second half.
Bringing a deeper, baritone voice to the evening was Luke McCall (Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables) who delivered stunning performances of classics such as ‘Til I Hear You Sing (Love Never Dies) and Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific) before he brought us some more upbeat numbers in the second half such as Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Jersey Boys) and I’m A Believer (Shrek) which had the audience on their feet and singing along.
To end the evening we were treated to a beautiful duet of (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing) by Luke McCall and Aimie Atkinson, featuring live saxophone (though sadly not the full solo!), which was a great choice of closing number.
So much of the enjoyment of a show like this is in the selection of songs. It feels as though the producers tried to find something for everyone, but I can’t help feeling that there was a missed opportunity in including more love songs from newer musicals. Additionally, I would have loved to have heard more duets between the performers, given the talent on stage. That being said it was a fantastic night out celebrating love with performances from some of the West End’s best talent, ranging from beautiful ballads to get-up-and-dance classics, topped off with live saxophone.