West End Came to Cheltenham! MJ-UK entertain the P.A.C Theatre

Rowdy Fabon held MJ-UK in high regard on the 5th April, pictures by Emilia Nylen.

Fiddler on the Roof "Tradition"

For musical enthusiasts like me, what could be better than watching Les Miserables live? Being the ‘mother’ of all stage productions, seeing this Victor Hugo masterpiece brought to life seems to be the greatest experience of all but not until MJ-UK Music and Arts came up with the idea of combining some of the world’s best musicals into one theatrical extravaganza! To make it even more exciting, Cotswolds was their chosen destination as they brought West End to the lovely and endearing town of Cheltenham.
Maria Jagusz is the genius behind this spectacular event. She was trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio. The ensemble who took part in the entire production was extraordinarily good. Each and every one had their own shining moment making the whole show a display of talent and unparalleled excellence.
They opened with the incredible ‘Tradition’ piece taken from Fiddler on the Roof. It was flawless and full of energy. It was the perfect choice to kick off the evening as it positively set the overall mood and at the same time raised the bar to a high standard which was effortlessly maintained all throughout the show. It was immediately followed up by a few more songs from the same play and eventually moved on to present their dazzling renditions of some of the popular scenes from Blood Brothers, Seussical and West Side Story which included a marvellous interpretation of ‘America’.

Cat in the Hat

Just before the interval, one of the show’s highlights, ‘Sweeney Todd’ took the centre stage via a powerful performance of ‘There Was a Barber And His Wife’. This was instantaneously backed up by more notable songs from this famous play. Benjamin Maggs, who played Sweeney Todd, was incredible and could easily give Johnny Depp a run for his money! Megan Yates was equally amazing as she portrayed the complex Mrs. Lovett. The clarity in their delivery and the stage presence are spot on making it very entertaining piece to watch. Paul Bradley dodging the Barber`s blade was also faultless during "Pretty Women".

Ben Maggs and Paul Bradley

Right after the break, four more prominent productions were given the MJ-UK touch. Billy Elliot led the second batch with Henry Firth breathing life to this iconic character. His solo number was one of the ‘must-see’ in the whole show. Words are not enough to describe how genuine that performance was and the amount of talent this young lad has is just astonishing. The group’s versions of Secret Gardenand Chess came on next before they hit the

Daniel Jagusz-Holley

ultimate one, Les Miserables. This is the one I am most looking forward to and I do have high expectations from the troupe. As expected, they didn’t disappoint. The performances were solid, note-perfect and very amusing. Benjamin Maggs and Megan Yates are back to lead the cast as Jean Valjean and Fantine respectively. Megan Yate’s interpretation of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ is now one of my favourites alongside Susan Boyle’s and Anne Hathaway’s. Some more stand-out performers include Daniel Jagusz-Holley as Marius and Biancha Szynal as Eponine. Both talents gave startling and refreshing portrayals of these important characters. Biancha’s ‘On My Own’ is my choice for the best vocal performance of the night. As expected, the show ended with their incredible version of ‘One Day More’ which is very similar, if not better, to what we saw in the film last year.

Farewell!

All in all, it was a fantastic show. I enjoyed every single bit of it. The idea itself is superb and it has all the potential to be big. It’s perfect for those who would want a taste of various musicals – it’s a genius concept. The lighting, the production design, the live music, the costumes and make up, everything lined up perfectly. The talent, especially of the young performers, is beyond compare and I am very proud to have the opportunity to witness them at this point because I know one day, they’ll be West End’s biggest superstars! Well done to Maria and to everyone at MJ-UK Music & Arts.
Rowdy Fabon

 

Rowdy Fabon