So long as you like music, there’s a musical out there for you

The Olivier Awards took place on Sunday, 6 April, and were a shining showcase of the last year in theatre.

Hosted by Beverley Knight and Billy Porter, coveted awards were presented by a wealth of celebrities, with the proceedings interspersed with musical performances from some of the Best New Musical and Best Musical Revival nominees.

Watching the performances, they’re a wonderful indicator of the musical theatre landscape and how varied each piece can be. The term “musical” can spook a lot of naysayers, as they often have a preconceived idea of what that means: flashmob-style choreography, bursting into song mid-sentence, and twee tunes (not that we at WhatsOnStage see anything wrong with that!).

We caught up with Maimuna Memon, who won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, following her turn as Sonya Rostova in the UK premiere of Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812. 

She commented: “When people say to me ‘I don’t like musical theatre.’ I always challenge them and say, ‘Well, do you like music?’ Because if you like music, there will be something out there for you.”

Opening the show, the two hosts gave a jazzy rendition of “Luck Be A Lady Tonight”, a timeless song from Guys and Dolls with new air breathed into it.

Next up, Myles Frost as Michael Jackson, and the cast of MJ The Musical represented jukebox shows and bio-musicals – just in the UK right now, you can deep-dive into the lives of such artists as Tina Turner, explore Greek islands with ABBA, have a rock experience with Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, re-write Shakespeare with Max Martin, or go jousting to chart-topping hits. For many, jukebox musicals are a gateway for those cautiously curious to experience a theatre show.

Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss‘ Why Am I So Single? is a contemporary look at dating, with a fresh soundtrack to match. Stylistically, it’s worlds apart from the sea-salted folk music of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is performed by a cast of actor-musicians. Both shows have left a lasting imprint on the West End and with audiences alike.

The same can be said for the revivals; Lionel Bart’s “Reviewing the Situation” (which was performed masterfully by Olivier Award nominee Simon Lipkin) has stood the test of time, passed through generations of Oliver! lovers thanks to its catchy, fast-paced tune and amusing tongue-twister lyrics. Comparing that to “I Am the Starlight”, a powerfully-charged ballad from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, is like comparing apples with oranges.

Meanwhile, “Sunrise, Sunset”, which features a family observing their children’s growth, is now a wedding staple. At the Awards, the Best Musical Revival cast also performed “Bottle Dance”, which has choreography inspired by movement at Orthodox Jewish weddings and captures the same joy.

As a composer as well as a performer, Memon said that she “loves trying to bring people into the theatre who might not necessarily go,” and she believes that Great Comet did that.

Dave Malloy’s musical, which he refers to as an “electropop opera,” had its long-awaited UK premiere last year. It quickly sold out the Donmar Warehouse with those curious about the show following its run on Broadway, so it made sense for the cast to perform a medley of numbers highlighting the variety of music in the sung-through piece, from Russian folk to indie rock. We plea with the powers that be for it to make a return!

One of the most famous sung-through musicals is Les Misérables, which is celebrating 40 years in London this year. There are over 50 numbers in the epic musical, but Rachelle Ann Go, Lucie Jones, Bradley Jaden, Nathania Ong and Shan Ako performed a medley of fan-favourites: “I Dreamed a Dream”, “On My Own” and “Stars” – all of which are known more widely outside of the theatre community.

The long and short of it is that there’s a musical for everybody, regardless of their personal music taste. If you aren’t a big fan of one, you can always try another!