Scott Garnham Cabaret – The Delfont Room, May 5 2012

I only discovered Scott Garnham recently through Les Miserables in which he is currently appearing as Feuilly and first cover for Enjolras (a part I was lucky enough to see him play on several occasions). When it was announced that he was organising his first solo cabaret there was no question I would have to be there.

So here I was in the Delfont Room on a Saturday evening – one of my favourite spaces for late night cabarets in the West End I’d like to add. I had little to no idea what to expect but after seeing Scott appear in A West End Christmas last December I was quite certain I wouldn’t be disappointed.

And what can I say? The evening was everything but disappointing for sure. I think the word “unconventional” sums it up well (a term Scott himself used). A rather creepy obsession with a girl named Claire, the joys of making love alone, being friends on Facebook and a completely “Self-indulgent ballad” – I doubt there has been a cabaret in the West End with a similar choice of songs. And I’m writing this with the biggest respect and praise because I can honestly say that I have never laughed more at a late night cabaret. Scott Garnham is not just a talented singer, he is also one of the most natural entertainers I have had the pleasure to see on stage. His interaction with the audience was flawless and he managed to combine songs and fun without turning the evening into a stand up comedy show. Scott’s songs – while often being more than hilarious – were personal and it was obvious how much thought had gone into chosing them (and partly even writing them).

Scott’s guests on this very special evening were Jon Hawkins, Hadley Fraser, Carl Mullaney, Liz Pendleton (backing singer and saxophone), Laura Tebbutt, Craig Mather (drums) and Rob Vickers (guitar). Personally I loved Scott’s and Jon’s “That’s life” because it was so obvious how well those two get along and how much fun they were having. The same goes for Scott’s and Sir Hadley’s (as I shall refer to him from now on) “Butter outta cream”.
Laura Tebbutt’s “Fabulous Girl” was a complete joy to listen to – that girl would make a more than fabulous Deloris in Sister Act (who cares she isn’t black)! I loved Carl Mullaney’s “Someone to fall back on” – a great tune which was sung beautifully.

But no matter how fantastic the guests, this evening was about Scott. And everyone who was there will surely agree with me when I say that Scott Garnham is one of the most original, witty, clever and talented young men in London’s West End. He doesn’t sing the same old songs that have been done to death at every cabaret around the world. His take on a late night cabaret was fresh and different and quite simply brilliant.

The whole evening took place in aid of Theatre MAD, a charity Scott has been supporting for quite a while. Please do check them out at http://www.madtrust.org.uk/.

Here’s hoping this wasn’t Scott’s first and last cabaret evening. It would be a shame if all those people who couldn’t make it on Saturday wouldn’t get a chance to experience this talented singer/songwriter/entertainer being delightfully unconventional on stage.

Thank you, Scott, for the songs and the laughs. I had the best time!

Complete song list

Let me drown
Follow these instructions
Die vampire die
Different
Making love alone
Did you get my message
Someone to fall back on (Carl Mullaney)
Loving you to excess
Solitaire
Self-indulgent ballad
Pencil full of lead
In Dublin
That’s life (with Jon Hawkins)
On the Facebook (with Carl Mullaney, Liz Pendleton and Laura Tebbutt)
All American prophet
Fabulous girl (Laura Tebbutt)
Butter outta cream (with Hadley Fraser)
We live on borrowed time
The curtain falls

Go and find Scott on Twitter @scottgarnham for a link to a complete audio upload of the evening and to get in touch with the man himself.

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Upcoming theatre events (a.k.a. stagey nights out)

Do you have a bit of spare time in the next few weeks and want to spend it doing something fabulous? Then maybe one (or more) of these upcoming events are for you.

West End Eurovision 2012 (Dominion Theatre, April 26 2012)

This is a fantastic late night show that pays tribute to the Eurovision Song Contest in true West End style. Several West End shows compete against each other by performing a past Eurovision Song Contest song. This year’s entries are:
39 Steps
Billy Elliot
Les Miserables
Mamma Mia!
Phantom of the Opera
Rock of Ages
Shrek, the musical
Sweeney Todd
Wicked
Wizard of Oz
The celebrity judges of the 2012 West End Eurovision are Tony Blackburn, Kerry Ellis and Stefanie Powers. The evening will be hosted by Gaby Roslin and John Partridge. And as if that wasn’t enough there will be a special guest performance by 2005 UK Eurovision Song Contest entry Javine Hylton.
I attended both the 2010 and the 2011 West End Eurovision and can assure you this event is one not to be missed!
For more information and to book your tickets go to http://www.madtrust.org.uk/west-end-eurovision-ticket-box-office.php?sub=overview.

Scott Garnham Late and Live in Cabaret (The Delfont Room, May 5 2012)

I only discovered the very talented Scott Garnham quite recently through Les Miserables and I was lucky enough to see him as Enjolras on several occasions (he is on again from May 21st to 23rd for anyone that wants to catch him in the part before he leaves the show on June 16th).
This will be Scott’s first solo cabaret and tickets are selling fast. Special guests include Hadley Fraser, Liam Tamne, Jon Hawkins, Laura Tebbutt and Carl Mullaney and the evening will feature two brand new songs written with Tim Prottey-Jones and Steven Luke. And all of this in one of the best cabaret venues in the West End: The Delfont Room.
Book your tickets here: http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/LiveIntheDelfontRoom/ScottGarnhamLateAndLiveInCabaret.asp

West End in Concert (St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, May 20 2012)

This is the first event run by the West End in Concert team. Taking place at St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden the evening will see performances by Sabrina Alouche, Lauren Samuels, MiG Ayesa, Adrian Hansel, John Wilding, Tenors of Rock, Scott Garnham, Liam Doyle, Tori Allen-Martin, Lauren Varnham, Mazz Murray, Woman Band, Chloe Hart, Brenda Edwards, Liam Tamne, Ian Carlyle, Victoria Hamilton-Barrit, Sandra Marvin, Ryan Dawson, Lucy Sinclair, Katie Paine, Rebecca Treharne, Parnell Page, Jack Hawitt and Danielle York.
If the bunch of talented performers isn’t enough to convince you to attend then the fantastic location should do the job. St. Paul’s Church is simply a stunning place for concerts.
For tickets go to http://www.seetickets.com/Event/WEST-END-IN-CONCERT-COVENT-GARDEN/St-Paul-s-Church-Covent-Garden/626896.

And in case you don’t want to go home after the concert I suggest you head over to Roadhouse Covent Garden where Bloomfield Avenue will be on stage from 8pm on. There’s free entry before 10pm and you should easily be able to catch at least part of the second set. Check out Bloomfield Avenue here http://www.bloomfieldavenueband.co.uk/. I have seen them on stage various times and have never been disappointed. They are a guarantee for a good night out.

Les Miserables – January 3 2012

The 3rd of January 2012 ;marked my 7th visit to Les Miserables since June 2011. What can I say? I’ve always had a habbit of watching ;shows various times for different reasons. With Les Miserables every reason is coming together: It’s a great shows with a fantastic score, I really like the current cast as a whole and one of my favourite performers is playing the lead at the moment. So honestly, I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to. 😉

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The first time I went to see Ramin Karimloo as Valjean Hadley Fraser was on holidays. I didn’t mind at the time as that gave me the opportunity to concentrate on Ramin’s performance without being “distracted” by Hadley (who I love to see as Javert).

Since then I had seen the two on stage together once and loved the interaction between them. They honestly work so well together. That combined with the fact that they are two of the nicest performers I have ever met makes them pretty special.

It’s hard to grasp the little things when seeing something for the first time so I decided to wait until now before I reviewed their performances.

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First of all I adore both Ramin and Hadley as performers and as people. They are fantastic singers and they both always bring something unique to the parts they play (that is my opinion at least).

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Seeing them on stage together in Les Miserables is simply breathtaking. The chemistry between them is so special – it’s like they know what the other one is thinking and have the perfect understanding of each other and trust each without boundaries. The confrontation scene between Javert and Valjean just after Fantine’s death had me on the edge of my seat. There was such a raw anger visible on stage at that moment, I seriously thought the two might start a proper fight at any time.

Hadley’s Javert used to be quite animalistic but he has calmed down a lot and plays the part with a more ;subtly dangerous touch now. And that works perfectly with Ramin’s Valjean who is full of raw anger at the beginning and grows into a more collected yet still passionate character throughout the show.

I admit I’m not totally sure yet what to make of ;Ramin’s high notes in certain parts of the show (take the very last note in “Who am I” for example). They sometimes seem a little too screechy. But that’s just a minor rant and doesn’t take away from the fact that his performance as Valjean is stunning. I love that you will never get two performances from him that are exactly the same. His portrayal of a part changes, often on a daily basis. He develops his characters constantly and will change the way he plays certain scenes throughout his run in a show.

Ramin once told me that Mark Rylance is an actor who inspires him a lot – method acting at its best. And while I do think that no one comes even close to the acting genius of Mr. Rylance I can definitely see that inspiration in Ramin’s acting.

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Hadley has been the most underrated performer in the West End for quite some time if you ask me. It’s fantastic to see he finally gets the attention he deserves. And I know his Javert ;is not to everyone’s taste but personally I love the way he plays the part. I’m generally not a fan of the song “Stars” but I could listen to Hadley singing it night and day.

I’ve been talking about Ramin and Hadley all the time but I can and will not forget to mention someone else: Scott Garnham. I was really impressed ;by his performance at A West End Christmas last December and so I have been looking forward to catching him as Enjolras in Les Miserables. And my God – that guy is incredible! Nothing against Liam, I do enjoy seeing him as Enjolras a lot, but Scott’s portrayal was spot on from start to finish. His Enjolras ;displays such a pure determination and his vocals were absolutely brilliant. This showed me once more how much talent is hidden in the ensembles of various shows in the West End. ;

So, I’m urging everyone to go and see Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser in Les Miserables – you’ve still got until March 3 so make sure to book your tickets. Just don’t forget that Ramin only does 6 shows a week (his off dates are posted on the Delfont Mackintosh website) and Hadley is on holidays the week commencing January 23.
And if you happen to see Scott Garnham as Enjolras as well you’re in for an extra treat.

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Book tickets for Les Miserables on http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk