SONDHEIM
As Craig Glenday, chairman of the Stephen Sondheim Society said.“The Fourteenth Annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student performer of the year 2022 competition” is definitely the Longest title in the West End.
All the Drama and Music academies in the country have competitions to find their most talented performer in musical theatre. It is a very special evening at the Sondheim Theatre. The sadness is that the man himself is not able to be there. Instead there are the lovely Liz Robertson, Theo Jamieson, Caroline Sheen,and MIchael Zavier to judge the finalists. The chairman of the judges, is music Critic and music theatre obsessive, Edward Seckerson . Hosting the evening is Jennia Russell .and the prize giving presentation is by probably the most popular interpreter of Sondheim’s work, the great Julia Mackenzie
We are to see the twelve finalists. Group into parties of three. Each student does a Sondheim popular song and a completely new song written by a young composer.
It was not surprising that the first prize of a thousand pounds went to Desmonda Cathabel from the Royal Academy of Music who sang first “The Miller’s Son” from A Little Light Music and then “I’m ready” fromThe Snow Queen by Eamenn O’Dwyer, who is also a Royal Academy student.
Desmonda is a true professional wearing a sexy black dress split to the waist. Desmonda is from Jakarta, Indonesia where English is a second language, so she has worked exceptionally hard to arrive at this state of professional artistry.. She has obviously appeared in cabaret and one of her prizes is an evening at the Crazy Coqs as a subject of Comparing Notes intimate conversation.
The girl who won second prize was Ella Shepherd from the Bird College Conservatoire, who performed “I Read” from Passion and “Press Hash to Record” a delightful comedy song by Alex James Ellison from the Brit School and Mountview, whose work has been seen at Southwark Playhouse and the Crazy Coqs and was nominated for Best Off West End Show.
The final prize went to Jade Oswald from The Royal Academy of Music who sang “On the Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods and “Coming to Terms” by Christopher J Orton and Jon Robyns.. Orton’s new musical “Then Now and Next, written with Jon Robyns, is in the workshop stage.
There were nine more wonderful performers who kept the audience intrigued, andtghey more than succeeded in making his a fascinating show. The names you will soon be familiar with are Caitlyn Allen,ihvit Anduguola, Annabelle Aquino, Tommy Bell, Jee Boyle, Demonda Cathabel, Ed Cooke, Cassius Hackforth, Izzi Mackie, Callum Matin, Jade Oswald and Ella Shepherd.
Stephen Sondheim left a message for them
“Good luck to the singers, and remember to honour the songwriters”
Good luck to the Songwriters and remember to honour the Singers”
pyekan 