As part of Radio 2 celebrating the best of West End musicals, an all-star theatre concert was broadcast on BBC One. Over four million audience members tuned in to watch worldwide performers who have all appeared in the West End took part as well as a West End ensemble, all singing together at the London Palladium.
If you missed the televised broadcast on 7 February, you can relive some of the best bits with us. So, if “You Can’t Stop The Beat” or think that West End theatre is now “The Impossible Dream”, then think again. Here are performances from BBC Musicals: The Greatest Show.
The cast of Sixperformed "Six". Performers taking part included Jarneia Richard-Noel, Courtney Bowman, Natalie Paris, Alexia McIntosh, Sophie Isaacs and Danielle Steers. Six performances are due to resume at the Lyric Theatre, before returning to the Arts Theatre.
Kerry Ellis made history as the first British performer to play Elphaba in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. For the concert, she sung "Defying Gravity" from Wicked.
Layton Williams starred in the hit British musical for over a year, returning to the stage for a one-off performance of "The Wall in my Head". The musical is due to return to the Apollo Theatre, ahead of a film adaptation.
The cast of Dear Evan Hansen, including the Olivier Award-winning actor Sam Tutty sings "You Will Be Found". As a result of the concert, "You Will Be Found" became the top-selling song on the iTunes UK Music Charts.
Ahead of a UK tour of Dreamgirls, Nicole Raquel Dennis gave a stunning rendition of "And I Am Telling You". Dreamgirls was last at the Savoy Theatre in 2019, with Amber Riley and Marisha Wallace both playing Effie White during the West End run.
The Greatest Showman
Previously playing Grizabella in Catsat the London Palladium, Nicole Scherzinger starred in the concert. She sung "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman.
As well as taking on hosting duties, Sheridan Smith appeared in two songs as part of the event. Firstly, she opened the show with "Don't Rain on my Parade" from Funny Girl, a musical she starred in at the Savoy Theatre in 2014.
Later in the show, Smith and Amanda Holden sung together for a rendition of Chess number "I Know Him So Well". The cover appears on Holden's recent album, released in late 2020.
Photo credit: Kerry Ellis in BBC Musicals: The Greatest Show (Photo by Guy Levy)