Entering the space at the St James Theatre and noting the demographic of people it is quickly realised that we were in for a stagey night! The St James Theatre is one of the larger fringe venues the Off-West End scene has to offer, with a very successful list of past shows including: Putting It Together, The Great British Musical and, of course, Urinetown.
Broadway performer, Youtube sensation and creator of ‘Breaking Down The Riffs’, Natalie Weiss premiered her European Tour in the UK singing a vast array of Musical Theatre, pop covers and some of her own arrangements. The night was filled with insane vocals, gorgeous performances and the two sections of the night, the riff raffle and the winning song of the new British composer competition – where Natalie broke down a riff live on stage with someone in the audience and performed a song written by a competition winner.
Opening the evening with one of her most performed repertoire songs, The Spark of Creation, Natalie instantly has the audience cheering, applauding and ‘wooping’ for her. As aforementioned, the set list for the evening showcases just how amazing she is as an artist. Natalie’s show proves her ability to do contemporary pop songs, have us weeping from her emotive acting and beautiful renditions as well as making the audience awestruck at the cleverly constructed mash ups in the show.
Throughout the show in between songs the audience were treated to insights into Natalie’s life – which always bodes well for cabaret acts as it makes the audience feel more connected with them and creates a more casual atmosphere. We were treated to knowing about the awkward yet hysterical pick up lines Natalie has received on internet dating apps. Additionally, Natalie’s personal star struck moment with Jessie J when she was called out in front of the whole crowd for doing a cover of Jessie’s song and getting more views. One anecdote the audience found exceedingly funny was Natalie’s discovery of ‘Londonisms’ which she proceeded to read out a few in a London accent.
Standout songs from the concert were ‘Easy’ from the musical Jawbreaker due to the emotive redition, ‘With Him’, similarly, for the gorgeous performance, but also because of the music and passion the band were putting into the playing. Last, but by no means least, Weiss’ version of Latch by Sam Smith, this is a standout moment because her vocals were so phenomenal during this song it would be wrong of me not to mention it!
Reviewed by Tom Yates
