Tonight at the London Coliseum: Cassidy Janson, London Coliseum
- After a shaky six months in lockdown for the arts, theatre is slowly finding creative ways to return despite current restrictions
- Musical theatre stars have taken to the stage once more at the London Coliseum, performing their own concerts that are being streamed online
Cassidy Janson is no stranger to the Coliseum, home of the English National Opera, having performed in both Man of La Mancha and Chess there.
Filmed in an empty auditorium, Janson doesn’t need a big set or multiple costume changes to capture the audience’s attention.
Accompanied by her musical director, Adam Dennis and guitarist Adam Goldsmith, Janson’s acoustic renditions of classics like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “I’ll Never Love Again” are perfect for the simple staging of this intimate concert.
As soon as the funky beat that starts Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” along with Janson strutting onto the stage, you know you are in for a treat. You can’t help but feel uplifted, bopping along to the music and Janson’s infectious smile.
Having previously starred as Carole King in the West End production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, it’s not surprising why she shone in the role. Janson is a powerful singer, but her musicality impresses too.
Janson’s quick wit helps transitions the songs. Laughing to the camera, Janson explains “I can’t play the piano in heels, I discovered recently.”
Janson takes off her shoes for the covers of “It’s Too Late” and “So Far Away”, and accompanies herself on the piano brilliantly.
Most recently, Janson starred in the original West End cast of & Juliet. Her performance as Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s love, gained Janson an Olivier Award nomination. It’s not hard to see why as her stellar performance of “That’s The Way It Is” from the show was a stand-out performance.
Without a big orchestra supporting her, you listen to the lyrics more, which are quite poignant for our current time.
Even though theatres remain empty for the time being, performances like this prove that the theatre is very much alive and kicking.
Shakespeare’s quote ‘Though she be but little she is fierce’ is the perfect way to sum up Cassidy’s performance tonight.