Jessie celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday at the Barbican where she was appearing in the first of a short national tour of ‘The Sound of Musicals’ concerts.
A full house of delighted concert-goers sang Happy Birthday to You accompanied by her fellow guest singers Deborah Myers, James Graeme and Tim Howar along with the superb London Concert Orchestra conducted on this occasion by David Shrubsole.
They had been treated to an eclectic selection of show-stopping songs from many of the finest musicals ever written. Particular highlights for me were Jessie’s superb interpretations of I Dreamed a Dream (Les Miserables), Don’t Rain On My Parade (Funny Girl), Maybe This Time (Cabaret), The Trolley Song (Meet me in St Louis) and – how it all started, really – As Long As He Needs Me (Oliver!).
I have had the privilege of seeing Jessie perform in all manner of venues over the past few but fast-moving years: at the Menier Chocolate Factory and the Garrick in A Little Night Music, of course; at the intimate Lauderdale House in Highgate and the slightly bigger Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead; and at the Royal Festival Hall in the Battle of Britain Concert on 11 September 2010, the Royal Albert Hall, most recently in the BT Carol Concert on 14 December 2010 and now, the Barbican.
However humble or prestigious the event, Jessie’s consistently brilliant talent and obvious love of her art shines through and leaves her spellbound audience with the kind of warm glow that surely lives in the memory for all time.
And if Jessie ever needed convincing of the depth of affection felt for her by so many of us, she only has to think back to the heartfelt spontaneity with which that Barbican audience burst into song yesterday. The love was palpable.
By Keith Fitzgerald
1 comments:
Thanks for that Keith. Would it be possible to tell us a bit more about the B.o.B. and Carol concerts too?
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