Review: West End Switched Off Album Launch at the St James Studio

West End Switched Off Album Launch 

St James Studio

Reviewed on Sunday 27th April 2014

What a difference eight months can make! When last I reviewed West End Switched Off back in September last year, Parallel Productions was launching this concept aboard the Battersea Barge. Fast forward to last night at the St James' Studio and the sold-out launch of the first album in a planned series of releases. The concert was made up of songs from the new album and other fresh, unorthodox arrangements of musical theatre material: both standards and more unusual Broadway material.

Sophie Linder-Lee

The programme, in two acts, was so full of gems and standout performances that it's difficult to select highlights but if pressed I would single out Sophie Linder-Lee's peppy, up-tempo 'Losing My Mind' and whose ukulele version of 'Touch-a Touch-a Touch me' had the audience in hysterics. 

Rebecca Trehearn was also fantastic, with an enviable range of timbre and tone present in her clearly versatile and powerful voice. She had the room in awed silence with her rendition of 'Send in the Clowns'.

Ultimately though, every song impressed with a surprising and unconventional arrangement: if I didn't have a program in front of me I may not have recognised what song I was listening to until half way through it!

I have nothing but praise for the project's MD and mastermind Kris Rawlinson who has managed to combine his remarkable talent with a keen sense of enterprise: to marshal this line-up of high profile talent and create such a polished and slick evening of theatre at only 21 years old is a stupendous achievement. He has every right to feel altogether proud of what he has achieved and I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees big things ahead for this young man: Gareth Valentine better watch out! 

Rawlinson's stewardship of the six piece band alone was a marvel; the players were incredibly tight and well-rehearsed, each member perfectly synchronised, creating some spine-tingling moments of unique musical magic.

If you're looking for an album of your favourite MT material arranged in a fresh way, I can't recommend highly enough West End Switched Off, which is released today.

Reviewed by Jody Tranter

Please visit www.parallelproductions.co.uk for further information.

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