Conductor: Stephen Bell
Spanning more than eight decades of stage and screen music, the CBSO presents a delightful journey through the evolution of musical theatre and film. From the wistful Somewhere Over the Rainbow to the intimate modern anthem Waving Through a Window from Dear Evan Hansen, the selection traces a lineage of composers and styles from Arlen, Rodgers and Loesser through Kander, Menken, and Schwartz, to Pasek & Paul. Overtures and showstoppers, from Wizard of Oz to Waving Through a Window, there’s 75 years of musical theatre history to enjoy with a programme of music that’s appeared both in film and on stage – even if the link is somewhat tenuous at times.
The programme opens with some numbers full of the glamour and swing of MGM’s golden age, transporting us to the studios of mid-century Hollywood. That’s Entertainment!, written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1953 movie version of The Bandwagon, has become almost a theme tune for MGM and gives us a fitting opening with sweeping strings leading into the familiar theme, complete with quirky snippets of other tunes as it goes. It’s a great way to start an evening of entertainment.
The MGM theme continues as we meet our first soloist, Tim Howar, with Luck be a Lady from Guys and Dolls, the stage show which was popularised by the film with Frank Sinatra and a song Sinatra made his own (though interestingly, he didn’t sing it in the film). Howar is in great form for this one – it’s a number that really suits his vocal style and he delivers it well, keeping the high-energy theme of the opening going. Howar returns with more as the programme progresses too, giving us an upbeat though maybe slightly over-delivered version of Waving Through a Window, and a wonderful interpretation of Bring Him Home – a song which we may never have heard as it didn’t exist in the original version of Les Miserables, but which has gone on to become one of the signature pieces of the show. First though another number which almost didn’t reach us, being almost cut by the studio, but which has become a classic – Somewhere Over the Rainbow, the CBSO showing their skill with a nice orchestral arrangement.
It’s one of several pieces performed by the orchestra, showing us their versatility. The theme from Ladies in Lavender sensitively performed by Jonathan Martindale, the symphonic storytelling of Carousel Waltz, the excitement of the Back to the Future Main Theme they take them all in their stride. The Mary Poppins Overture, one of those rare occasions when you find the melody tucked away at the back of the orchestra and played on the xylophone, and Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, examples of the Broadway musical style being imported into film and then back onto the stage.
Katie Birtill is our second vocalist, showing how she is equally at home with a variety of musical styles from a gentle My Favourite Things and a sexy All that Jazz through the driving rhythms of Don’t Rain on my Parade, a number made famous by Barbra Streisand – a hard act to follow but once she gets into her stride Birtill tackles it with confidence. Each number contrasts with the last and each is delivered well, with additional entertainment from the variety of dresses we see every time she comes on. We get some duets too – A Whole New World, nicely done though Howar’s voice possibly sits more comfortably with the more powerful numbers than the romantic ballad, and the balcony scene from West Side Story. Coming towards the end of the programme there’s another (unrelated) Schwartz number – Stephen Schwartz’s Defying Gravity, a massive number and such a pivotal and emotional high that the movie version of Wicked had to be split into two parts, yet Katie Birtill is undeterred and delivers it as powerfully as you could possibly hope for.
The final orchestral Carousel Waltz leads us to the inevitable encore – Don’t Stop Believing, not a number written for stage or film but an older song used in Rock of Ages, leaving the audience clapping along and clearly totally believing in the joy of live music.
The programme goes from Hollywood’s golden-age glamour to today’s Broadway introspection, eighty years of history that reveals just how deeply stage and screen music has shaped our collective soundtrack. Whether in the brassy swagger of mid-century MGM, the symphonic sweep of Disney, or the emotional directness of modern musicals, it’s an evening of classic melodies – proof that a great tune and great storytelling never lose their power to move an audience.
Reviewed on 23 January 2026
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
90%
That’s Entertainment!