Review: Beyond the Barricade at O2 City Hall Newcastle

Beyond the Barricade – 22nd September 2024

Invited| Reviews by Robyn Watson

Beyond the Barricade embarks upon their UK tour celebrating their 25th anniversary of their original concert showcasing their talents and time within the wonderful West End of Les Miserables. This show has played all over the world and consists of four incredibly talented singers and a three piece band made up of a pianist, guitarist and drummer. There is something just so special about a live band with a concert rather than just backing tracks and they did a stellar job. 

City Hall was quieter than usual which was a shame as we got to enjoy such a wonderful evening of truly special performances from a whole host of shows. As a huge musical theatre fan, I knew every single song they had selected and some of my favourites were combined within their clever medleys. 

They began the evening with, of course, a number from Les Miserables. Do You Hear the People Sing? was such a perfect start to the evening and showcased the quartets voices beautifully. I did think the evening would just consist of numbers from the show so I was delighted when they kept revealing songs from a whole host of modern and classic musicals throughout the evening. 

They entered into a medley from Phantom of the Opera next and I was mesmerised by the wonderful Soprano, Sarah Ryan, who belted out those top tier Christine notes effortlessly. Sarah Ryan played Cosette in Les Miserables at a very young age and has gone on to achieve many wonderful accolades particularly playing Christine in the West End and performing in the National Opera and at many Proms throughout the years. I was wowed by her solos of Think of Me from Phantom and the stellar Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music. Watching her sing like that was a sight to behold as she effortlessly belted out some of the highest songs in all of musical theatre. 

We were then treated with a medley from West Side Story which showcased some wonderful harmonies. David Fawcett was our host for the evening introducing the sets and regaling funny tales and he certainly is a character. He was in the West End Les Miserables for two years playing some wonderful parts but most importantly, Jean Valjean. He sang Bring Him Home so beautifully it brought a tear to my eye. Such a classic West End performer with a unique voice and I can see why he has had such a long, successful career. 

A fun moment of the evening had to be their Disney Medley which they like to call their silly songs. Of course it had classics like Zip- A- Dee- Doo- Dah, Bibbity Bobbity Boo and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. They expertly got their tongues around some of the trickiest lyrics around.  

I loved the next section which was a huge surprise for me as they sang songs from some newer musicals- Come From Away, Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. Their version of Alexander Hamilton was really quite impressive. My star of the show however, has to be Andy Reiss. Is there anything this man cannot do? Alongside musically directing, playing piano and crafting the arrangements he delivered some of the best vocals I have heard for a very long time. His version of King George’s You’ll be Back was side splittingly hilarious. He has not only performed in but directed Les Miserables and has also toured throughout the UK as Che in Evita. He performed a song from Jesus Christ Superstar which had everyone gripped – his vocals are pitch perfect and everything felt so effortless. His acting throughout his songs was a real masterclass. 

They finished Act One with an ABBA Medley and Johnny B Goode from Back to the Future. A lovely ending to a brilliant first half. 

The second half was a much deeper soundtrack. We listened to some favourites from Jesus Christ Superstar and we got to hear Katie Leeming perform I Don’t Know How to Love Him beautifully. She played Eponine in the West End and has even performed for the late Queen. 

We then moved onto Chess and Blood Brothers which are full of moving songs and the harmonies once again were perfect. I have to say, I was impressed with the Scouse accents as well. Anthem performed by David was fantastic. 

Of course our evening had to end with a mammoth showcase of nine songs from Les Miserables. These guys are the experts after all. I loved the quiet mic effects used during Do You Hear the People Sing? This really gave maximum impact. They ended with One Day More and encouraged the audience to sing along and that we certainly did! 

A terrific evening with wonderful vocals and a perfectly curated set list. You can tell how comfortable the four piece were singing together and how much work had gone into those difficult harmonies. This show is worth seeing if you ever get the chance to – who knows we may get a 30th anniversary tour next!