REVIEW | The Theatre Channel Episode 5 - The Classics of Broadway

Photo Credit: Edward Johnson

Theatre Channel Episode 5

The Theatre Café

★★★★

Last year London’s stagiest spot, The Theatre Café announced they’d be launching The Theatre Channel. A fantastic platform that producer Adam Blanshay has been providing so that audiences enjoy a slice of live theatre from their homes during the pandemic. It’s a ten-episode homage to musical theatre, while showcasing the immense talent of the West End. They’ve had many favourites participate in the episodes, taking on a series of well-known musical theatre songs to delight and warmth the heart of theatre audiences.

I watched the first episode of it last December and personally, it wasn’t my favourite stream I’ve watched during lockdown. I think a lot of this is down to the price (ranging from £12-15 per episode). I think it’s a high price in consideration to other things I have watched.

I wanted to give it another go so signed up to watch Episode 5 ‘The Classics of Broadway‘ and to be honest, it wasn’t that bad at all.

Photo Credit: Edward Johnson

Photo Credit: Edward Johnson

The Theatre Channel Episode 5 had some fantastic talent lined up, featuring Freddie Fox (ITV’s White House Farm), Bonnie Langford (9 to 5, 42nd Street), Marisha Wallace (Dreamgirls, Waitress), Mazz Murray (We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia!), Gary Wilmot (Flowers for Mrs Harris, The Prince of Egypt) and The Café Four. This group of musical theatre performers help pack up the episode by becoming backing dancers and performing even their own duets too.

There are some great Broadway Classics touched on within this episode, including ‘I Get A Kick Out of You’ from Anything Goes and ‘Luck be a Lady’ from Guys and Dolls. Two of the Café Four, Alyn Hawke and Emily Langham did a wonderful job performing ‘Put On A Happy Face’ from Bye Bye Birdie. The choreography was effortless and rolled off their limbs, just a joyous musical number to watch from start to finish.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mazz Murray‘s rendition of ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’. Mama Rose has big shoes to fill but boy Murray fills them right up and soaks in the characteristics so well, cast her up for the next Gypsy tour producers! She’s stellar!

Although the performance of the episode most certainly came from Marisha Wallace. Wallace is vocally flawless in her rendition of ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story with the National Theatre in the background, a beacon of hope in these tough times.

It’s an impressive episode that brings a lot of great musical tracks and epic talent together in an hour of true joy. It was far better than I expected it to be, I may be tempted to book and watch more in the future.

You can catch up on the previous four episodes from The Theatre Channel for £40. Find out more and book your tickets here.