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Laura Michelle Kelly

by Emily Healey-Lynham

Celebrating 20 years in the business, Laura Michelle Kelly takes audiences through her career at a one off concert in London’s Cadogan Hall thanks to Club 11.

Starting with a Barbra Streisand number to a rapturous applause, dressed in a sparkly number, Laura Michelle took us all on a journey from her first professional role as understudy Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre, to her most recent role on Broadway playing Sylvia in Finding Neverland.

Laura Michelle Kelly’s powerhouse vocals effortlessly filled London’s, Cadogan Hall, at times she didn’t need a microphone!  Her voice floats gracefully through ballads Meadow Lark and Whistle Down The Wind. The Olivier Award-winning actress embodies the narrative of each song while taking the audience on an evening of tales through her career, the women that have inspired her, roles she may never play and losing her skirt in front of Julie Andrews!

Laura Michelle’s performance featured two stunning duets during the concert with guest appearances from former colleagues from Mary Poppins and Lord of the Rings.  The first duet was performed with Kirsty Malpass (currently in Come From Away) as they sung the country hit Carry You Home made famous by duo Ward Thomas. In the second act, Laura Michelle was joined on stage by Savannah Stevenson (last seen in Wicked) as they sung the Stephen Sondheim number Our Time from Merrily We Roll Along.  Both duets were harmonised beautifully I could have asked for more!The concert flowed through musical theatre hits including a Mary Poppins medley, She Used To Be Mine from Waitress and All That Matters from Finding Neverland. Laura Michelle also performed a stunning rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Joining Laura Michelle on stage was Musical Director Jae Alexander, (who Laura Michelle met during her audition for Beauty and the Beast) James Doughty, Tom Clare, Ben Castle and Richard Coughlan.  Each musician performed with grace and flair – the sound was terrific and lighting sympathetic to each number adding colour when needed and just a simple spot light for numbers when Laura Michelle sat on a chair.

It has been nearly ten years since Laura Michelle Kelly last tread the boards of London’s West End but I hope she returns soon, with a standing ovation at the end, you can tell that everyone in the audience was moved by her impeccable vocals and would love her to return as well!

For more information on Laura Michelle Kelly see online.

Author

  • EmilyHealeyLynham

    Emily has been involved in the media industry for well over 10 years from working on film sets to journalism and PR. Emily is a strategic, energetic Editor who has been with Bespoke since the start heading up the Culture department. Being a fan of all art forms from the theatre to films, literature to exhibitions Emily is usually found in the stalls of a theatre telling you where the cast have been seen before without looking in the programme or fact finding in an art gallery, failing that she will be sipping champagne at the bar regaling stories of "glory days" of the West End!

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