Tobias Turley - The Path That Led Me Here at Crazy Coqs Review
Photo: Tobias Turley
Written by Ziwen for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
To get to know a person through a concert is perhaps one of the best possible ways, and on this evening we had exactly such an opportunity. In the dim and intimate setting of Crazy Coqs, Tobias Turley walked onto the stage wearing a dark red suit, accompanied only by a piano. He called himself a “country boy,” and with a slightly reserved smile told us that this performance would take us through how he made his way to the West End stage. Then, with the sound of the piano, he began to sing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning.”
Tobias Turley comes from Somerset and graduated from the BA Musical Theatre program at Guildford School of Acting. What truly made him widely known was the television program MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, where he won the championship. After that, he performed in multiple productions, including Heathers, West Side Story, White Rose, and Hot Mess. However, these introductions are merely words containing simple information. In music, his experiences are far more vivid.
His parents also work in the theatre industry, which gave Tobias an interest in theatre from a young age. He mentioned that at five or six years old he played a little mouse in a pantomime. The moment he truly realized that this was what he wanted to do was at fifteen, when he performed in the musical Barnum. Having said that, he quickly launched into “Museum Song.” It was clear that the more he sang, the more relaxed he became. His next song was “Proud of Your Boy,” a song he always chose for drama school auditions, and the one that gained him entry into GSA.
Tobias said that the knowledge he gained from his first few jobs was even greater than what he learned at school. His next song came from the second job he did after graduating: “I Want To Break Free.” He is very suited to this kind of brisk and slightly flamboyant song, and it was also my favorite of the evening.
I did not expect to hear “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” for this reason. Somewhat embarrassed, he mentioned that because he drank too much during Freshers’ Week, he could not sing the originally prepared “Her Voice,” and instead hastily chose this song that a good friend had sung. However, in front of classmates and teachers, he was not nearly as familiar with the song as he imagined. He got both the lyrics and the melody wrong. But he corrected that mistake here. It was the first time I had heard someone sing this song with such outward intensity and grief, and I could not help wondering what his Marius would be like. As for singing “Does Your Mother Know,” that was entirely expected. As mentioned above, he stood out among 10,000 women and 7,000 men to be selected for the television program MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream. This song also appears in the musical.
During the concert, he also invited his good friend Jeevan Braich. Watching the two chat casually, it was not hard to see that Tobias is very good at communicating with people. Afterwards, Jeevan powerfully delivered “Don’t Forget Me” from Smash.
I actually came to know Tobias through Hot Mess. From Edinburgh to London’s Southwark Playhouse, this production won the affection of many people. The song “What Did You Expect,” which he sang at this concert, is also one of its memorable numbers.
Before the performance began, he prepared cards for the audience on which they could write questions, and he selected some to answer between songs. One question asked what he thought he would be like in ten years. He answered frankly that he did not know, but he knew that his audition song would not change for a long time. That song is “Falling.” As he softly sang the lyrics, his emotions were very delicate.
The final song was “Over The Rainbow,” and it arrived even sooner than expected. From this concert, it was clear that Tobias is a driven and endearing performer with a natural gift for storytelling. At the same time, I found myself wishing for a few more moments that felt even more personal and emotionally revealing. I am confident that many more projects and concerts lie ahead of him—after all, Tobias Turley’s journey is only just beginning.
★★★★
