Review: Leading Voices LDN's Fresh Off The Score Winter Edition (Union Theatre)

I was invited to review Leading Voices LDN’s Fresh Off The Score Winter Edition at the Union Theatre, and told it was going to be a concert of seasonal songs from new and emerging British and UK-based theatre writers, many of which had been written especially for the evening. It was a pleasure to attend this sold-out event.

The members of the choir burst onto the stage in a flash of red and black, and their opening song – Where the Wind Blows (from Bear Left by Ollie Mills) instantly showed the impressive harmonies and ensemble nature of the concert we were about to enjoy.

Everyone on the stage looked like they were having an absolute blast. The vocals across the board were stunning, but the elements of characterisation they included brought the songs alive even more.

MD Felix Elliot accompanied many of the songs on piano, and the sound filled the theatre space beautifully. Joe Korner also added guitar for some of the songs. I enjoyed every piece of music and to have such a gorgeous, festive, introduction to new musical theatre writing felt like such a treat. The set list included the following:

Under The Mistletoe from Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (by Kit Buchan and Jim Barne) was performed by Eliza Waters and Cormac Diamond and this perhaps stood out for me movement-wise as the chemistry and interactions were brilliant between the two of them.

Your Neighbour Next Door (by Ralph Warman, who also founded and produces the choir) is a solo piece. The storytelling and the tone of this number were gorgeous, and Joe Partridge’s voice was ideal for this song. This one made me feel quite emotional.

Jessica Duncan’s playful performance of The Angel at the Top of the Tree (by Darren Clark) went down well with the audience, and led to a lot of laughter.

Mistletoe Berry White (by Neil Bastian), with piano and guitar accompaniment, generously shared vocals and variations of tone is the sort of song that gets stuck in your head and will not leave. I think this one will be carrying me through the upcoming festive period, judging by the way it's been bouncing around in my head ever since.

Welcome to My Kitchen (by Emily Rose Simons) allowed Marnie Yule to demonstrate not only her vocals but storytelling ability. I found my eyes were drawn to Marnie many times during the evening due to her entertaining facial expressions.

Working for the Man by MD Felix Elliot unleashed humour in spades, as the song lamented the experience of working for Santa. There was a lot of laughter in the audience during this piece.

The second half was opened by Felix Hagan who joined the choir to sing his new song Ones Who Love, which was written specifically for this event. The addition of his guitar alongside the charismatic writer/performer himself, with the choir providing harmonies, definitely set this part of the concert off to a good start.

The Beautiful Game (by Darren Clarke with lyrics by Richy Hughes) contained some gorgeous three-part harmonies by Cormac Diamond (with a fantastic cockney accent), Joe Partridge and David Booth, at times accompanied by the piano and for a short but very noticeable section which added a punch, a cappella. This song made me feel quite choked up, due to the historical nature of the subject matter and the performance itself. I would listen to it on repeat if I had the opportunity.

The Christmas Jumper (by Anya Hamilton and Alex Oliver Cawley then followed and instantly lightened the mood, with its upbeat tempo and comedic lyrics.

I could write about every song that was included in this concert; they all were perfectly chosen for the event, offering changes of mood and pace, and giving the choir the chance to showcase their exceptional voices.

The lighting and sound throughout the evening was looked after by Dylan Lowe who did a sterling job of ensuring we heard the right people at the right time under the correct shades of festive colours.

All it all it was such a joyful evening of music, with enough variation in the songs to hold the interest for anyone who enjoys musicals. The performers were all very talented, but more importantly the way they all interacted with each other, and the audience, was so much fun to watch, and the fact that looked like they were enjoying every minute of the concert made it even more engaging.

I am so glad I made it to this concert and from now on I will be keeping an eye out for Leading Voices LDN announcements and booking for future shows as soon as they go on sale.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The choir kindly agreed that I could take photos throughout the concert so please do have a look at my Instagram for some more of my photos from this event.

Please credit @myviewfromthestalls if you share any of my photos.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.