Music Of The Night
Forming the second part of a double-header from Absolute Opera at the Liverpool Theatre Festival, Music Of The Night continued where Matinee Musical Classics left off and gave us a spellbinding evening of entertainment influenced by some of the all-time great West End and Broadway musical productions.
Description
As with Matinee Musical Classics, Roy Lock and Olivia Brereton were our singers, along with managing director Tom Chester as the pianist. The show took us through many famous musical shows, the majority of which I’m sure the audience have attended in the past, such as Cats, West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Lion King, Chess, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables and The Phantom Of The Opera. Indeed, if you had to make a list of the top ten greatest musicals ever, several of these shows (certainly Les Miserables and The Phantom Of The Opera) would make the cut, so it was a treat to hear the biggest songs from these productions all in one night.
The songs themselves ranged from those that are specifically linked to the shows to tunes that later became chart-topping numbers. They included I Feel Pretty, Maria, The Hills Are Alive, Hushabye Mountain, Some Enchanted Evening, Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Losing My Mind, Bring Him Home, The Point Of No Return and That’s All I Ask Of You, before an encore rendition of The Prayer. In between, Lock gave us context to particular songs, as well as noting that he and Tom first met when performing Can You Feel The Love Tonight together on a luxury cruise ship. He also discussed his background, noting the influence of Chess on his career within the world of theatre, as well as highlighting Olivia’s own career, noting that they had both previously appeared as part of the cast in The Phantom Of The Opera.
Analysis
I mentioned this when covering Matinee Musical Classics, but it bears repeating: Roy Lock and Olivia Brereton are truly sensational operatic vocalists. Their performances of the aforementioned songs are of the strongest possible standard, with the ability to reach the loudest pitches and the ability to extend notes to an incredible degree. If you closed your eyes while listening to these songs (especially Bring Him Home and The Point Of No Return, for which Lock donned the infamous Phantom mask), you could imagine yourself sitting at the Sydney Opera House, The Gershwin or The Apollo Victoria, such was the quality of these performances. I can’t speak highly enough of these two, and not forgetting Tom Chester, who delivered a truly authentic soundtrack via the piano.
The lighting was also very impressive, setting the mood perfectly for each tune, enhanced by the peaceful night sky that ensured the spotlight was solely on the two performers that were mesmerising the crowd. At times, you could hear a pin drop due to how gripped the attendees were, and this was demonstrated by the (second of the day) thoroughly-deserved standing ovation that greeted the conclusion of this show. There were a couple of costume changes as well, which added a feeling of class and prestige when Lock and Brereton rounded off the night in a snazzy black tuxedo and a sparkling red dress respectively.
Summary
Simply put, Music Of The Night was absolutely exceptional. Within 90 minutes, we were able to enjoy many of the most famous musical songs of all-time, but more importantly, the performances by Roy Lock and Olivia Brereton were something to cherish. Whether it’s in an outdoor venue, an established theatre or on a cruise ship, I urge you to sample any show starring either of these two fabulous singers once the theatre sector is able to return to normality.
