West End Does : The Magic of Animation
Heroes & Villains
West End Does always put on a great show and their recent ‘Magic of Animation: Heroes and Villains’ concert is no exception. It reminds us just how magical the songs from our childhoods are and fills me with nostalgia throughout. With a cast made up of the West End’s top talent we are treated to 3 hours of fantastic songs from 15 animated classics such as Hercules, Prince of Egypt and The Little Mermaid. There is the wonderful addition of some GSA students who perform backing vocals as well as some beautiful dance routines to accompany several of the performances.
The show was hosted by Simon Lipkin who took the word ‘magic’ from the show’s title and ran with it. Impressing the audience with his magic skills, one trick left the audience dumbfounded as to how he’d done it. It was a shame though that at a musical concert Simon did not sing, though his hosting skills were brilliant, I know his singing skills are unmatched, so this felt like a missed opportunity to feature him.
The cast of the concert really are the best of the best, the singing is off the charts and every performance is breath-taking. Rob Madge opened with a brilliant version of ‘The Bells of Notre Dame’ and later on they treated us to a campy ‘Mother Knows Best’ from Tangled, really leaning into the fun of the song. David Hunter’s ‘Cruella De Vil’ was great fun, the jazzy song style really suited David’s singing style and his cheeky charm was perfectly suited to ‘I’m a Believer’. Alistair Brammer blew us all away with his ‘Out There’, the power and intensity of his voice is a delight to listen to.
The West End Musical Choir also made an appearance, with a large number of their members taking to the stage for a delightful rendition of ‘See The Light’ from ‘Tangled’. The mix of songs throughout were very enjoyable, it would have been easy to pick a big ballad from some animated films and just go with it but I was glad to see a good variety of song styles included meaning the audience never knew what was coming next.
The opening of Act 2 was inspired, having Rachel John and Sharlene Hector (the latter of whom is about to open in Hercules as a muse) open with ‘Zero to Hero’ which was a fantastic way to kick off the 2nd half and got the audience immediately re-engaged with the show. Leesa Tulley featured in the 2nd half of the show and she reminds us all just how very talented she is. With a hauntingly beautiful rendition of ‘Once Upon a December’ Leesa brings emotion to the forefront and shines. Her duet of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with David Hunter was a highlight also, both showing off the softer sides of their beautiful voices.
One of West End Does creators Rob Houchen also took to the stage and performed tremendously, with possibly the most unique voice in the West End at the moment, his rendition of ‘Son of Man’ from Tarzan was unlike any other. John Ellis was a surprise guest for the afternoon, and he brought his gorgeous operatic tone to ‘Through Heavens Eyes’, a song which I had not heard before but now would like to listen to Johns version every day.
It was an afternoon of fantastic performances and I look forward to attending more ‘West End Does’ concerts in the future!
This show was reviewed on the 4th May 2025 at Cadogan Hall, London. For more information on West End Does, follow them over on Instagram @westenddoes
Review written by Rosie Browne
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