West End Does: Lowestoft at The Marina Theatre Review
West End Does: Lowestoft brought together a fantastic mix of brilliant West End stars and up-and-coming local talent. With Joe Tracini hosting, we were treated to brilliant performances from Rob Houchen, Katie Tonkinson, John Owen-Jones and Nic Myers. Between them, they boast a plethora of West End and UK tour credits, and the talent on display throughout the show was just incredible.
Also featuring in the show was D16, a local performing arts college, alongside The Venue for Performing Arts, another local organisation offering classes across a range of genres to children and young people.
Accompanying the performers was a small band, comprising Samuel Wilson (Musical Director) on piano, Nick Fitch on guitar, Nick Anderson on drums and Joe Orme on bass. They provided the perfect accompaniment to an evening packed with musical theatre favourites.
We were treated to music from a wide range of shows, including The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Dear Evan Hansen, as well as a few numbers from Les Misérables. One of the highlights was a beautiful rendition of One Day More, featuring all four West End singers alongside the choir from D16 Performing Arts College.
West End Does also held a competition for local singers to join one of the stars on stage for a song. At the matinee performance I attended, we saw Annabelle, aged 12, and Cleo, aged 13, perform I Know It’s Today/Someone Else’s Story alongside Katie Tonkinson. All three performers worked incredibly well together, and it was such a pleasure to see local talent given the recognition and opportunity to perform on a stage like this.
We also saw two fantastic dance performances from The Venue for Performing Arts. The younger members of the company performed a brilliant Hairspray megamix, while the older members treated us to a tap rendition of Anything Goes. Both were absolutely brilliant, and I wasn’t expecting to see any dance in the show, so it was a particularly pleasant surprise!
A personal favourite part of the show was the rendition of One Day More. Les Misérables is one of those shows I’ve seen multiple times, so it was a real treat to see both Rob Houchen and John Owen-Jones reprise their roles.
I really did have goosebumps throughout the show. The talent and emotion on stage was just incredible, and there was such a lovely atmosphere in the theatre.
It’s a great introduction to musical theatre and suitable for all ages. Even in the seats around me, I saw people ranging from around five to 80, and everyone seemed to be having an absolutely brilliant time!
Rob Houchen set up Chorus Productions alongside Matt Lucas to showcase these West End concerts, and as Houchen grew up in Lowestoft, it’s absolutely fantastic to see the show brought to a local theatre. He mentioned on stage that they’re hoping to bring it back next year, so I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed. I’ll definitely be attending again!
★★★★★
Written by Eleanor for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.
