York Grand Opera House – 14 March 2018
5*****
From an idea thought up by performer Scott Garnham, The Barricade Boys visited York on its first UK tour. Made up of 4 male performers who have appeared in Les Miserables it is a huge pot to pick from but were treated to the amazing vocals of Garnham, Sam Edwards, Lee Honey-Jones and Simon Schofield in York.
Obviously there were a lot of songs from Les Mis, starting the show with I Dreamed A Dream and an emotionally charged version of Bring Him Home dedicated to the troops serving overseas. When my husband was in the forces that song in particular was my daily chant so the tears were already rolling from the beautiful voices without the dedication too. We were also treated to a swing jazz version of Master of the House which seemed an audience favourite.
But the boys have appeared in other shows and we got hear Edwards version of Dancing Through Life from when he was Fiyero in Wicked and Schofield sang Close Every Door from Joseph with children from Kirkham Henry Performing Arts Centre where Garnham once attended. One of the many highlights was Garnhams stunning version of Evermore from Beauty and the Beast and quite possibly the best version of Bohemian Rhapsody by the foursome that I have ever heard.
With dips into Motown, Jersey Boys, Michael Jackson the Beatles and a tribute to Nile Rodgers this show covers all musical genres and tastes thanks to Musical Director James Doughty and his musical arrangements. And a solo by local girl Lauren Hood who stars in the female equivalent of Gravity Girls – three female performers who have all appeared in Wicked
The Barricade Boys is night of fun and the boys seem to be having a genuinely good time on stage with quips, adlibs and banter as well as velvet voices and choreography as sharp as their suits. I have yet to see a show by Schofield which wasn’t fantastic, he clearly has the golden touch when it comes to producing shows and for me his name is fast becoming synonymous with high quality entertainment. This is their first UK tour and I can only hope there will be another one as I can’t wait to see them again