‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concerts’ // Brisbane Festival
‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concerts’ was a celebration.
In a time where theatre’s around the world are shutting down and leaving artists and audiences alike without the magic of musicals, the words that many theatre goers have been craving for months were uttered during the ‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concert’: “…and without further ado – on with the show!”
With strict social distancing and hand sanitiser at every entrance, Brisbane City Hall was decked out for a 2020 audience. Although these changes were new for patrons, it didn’t stop Brisbane Festival from making the afternoon a welcoming and glamourous return to the theatre.
Over the course of an hour, the Griffith Conservatorium BFA Musical Theatre students recited some of musical theatre’s most beloved hits. From Disney to theatrical icons like ‘Phantom of the Opera’, to less commonly performed shows such as ‘Half a Sixpence’, every performance perfectly captured the mood of each number, immersing the audience in musical theatre of the past and the present.
A particularly joyful performance to behold was “Flash, Bang Wallop” from ‘Half a Sixpence’. The trio, composed of Campbell Lennox, Jasper Filshie and Thomas Currie, brought a cheeky spark to the rarely performed song and had the audience clapping their hands and stamping their feet.
Another unique aspect was a ‘Les Miserables’ medley performed by Jade Delmiguez singing “On My Own”, Grace Whitney with “I Dreamed a Dream” and Liam Kirkpatrick with “Bring Him Home”. The trio’s solos concluded with an arrangement combining all three songs in a unique tribute to the classic musical.
Each soloist within the ‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concerts – On With The Show’ commanded outstanding vocals, making the ensemble numbers particularly stirring with the sheer power of music and tight harmonies. A testament to the performers skills was the final number in which the entire ensemble took to the stage to sing “I Still Call Australia Home”. Parts of the song were unaccompanied allowing the gorgeous harmonies to shine on their own, resonating around Brisbane City Hall.
The Con’s BFA Musical Theatre students should be highly commended for delivering a professional and evoking afternoon of music. The ‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concerts – On With The Show’ was a delightful lunchtime outing that left audiences singing for the rest of the day.
The ‘Lord Mayor’s City Hall Concerts’ continued with ‘Camerata Live’ on Tuesday, 15 September and ended with ‘Tilly Bébé: Women in Jazz’ on Tuesday, 22 September 2020. For more information about current and future shows at the Brisbane Festival, visit the Brisbane Festival’s website.
