came across this purely by chance on their web site - for one night only on friday 6th march. it is selling reasonably quickly with no real publicity

Friday 6 March, 2009
7.30pm


Ruthie Henshall with the BBC Big Band
From Broadway to Hollywood

Ruthie Henshall
Barry Forgie music director

Programme:
Enjoy a sparkling selection of melodies by the great songwriters, made famous by the divas who sang them: I Only Have Eyes For You, You Made Me Love You, Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing, The Man I Love, Don’t Rain On My Parade, Love Is Here To Stay, Folks Who Live On The Hill – and many more.

West End superstar Ruthie Henshall sings her favourite songs from stage and screen, with the acclaimed BBC Big Band (‘Best Big Band’ award winners, British Jazz Awards 2007). This special performance with Britain’s finest big band will mark the long-awaited re-appearance on the London concert stage by Olivier Award winner Ruthie Henshall.

‘Ruthie Henshall - a truly great star of musical theatre’ – Daily Telegraph
Other concerts in the BBC Big Band Series

Her re-scheduled concerts were this past Friday and Saturday - anyone go?

Band WAY too loud.

I didn't get to go but was also hoping to hear some reports back from it!

A very disappointing evening all told. I love Ruthie but she seemed in very poor voice and not well mic'd either. Much of the rep was unsuitable for her as well. But worst of all was the BBC big band who were overloud and played some excruciating arrangements of well known hits. But one would have been guessing in vain the identity of many of them without a programme. A four piece combo would have been infinitely preferable and would have shown off Ruthie (even in poor voice) rather than swamping and upstaging her. The nadir of the evening was an unbelievably dire arrangement of "hits" from West Side Story most of which even poor Lenny would have been stumped to place. Despite the fact that this was the finale Ruthie only got to do "Somewhere" and was sidelined by the band as they murdered one of music theatre's masterpieces. Horrible. Audience reaction was suitably muted - Maybe they were still too busy trying to guess which number they had heard?

Seb

I went on Saturday with a friend and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I will admit that I agree that the band were far too loud and Ruthie's microphone didn't appear to be quite loud enough (this was through NO fault of hes!). Apart from that slight disappointment I thought Ruthie was fantastic. It was great to hear her really belt out the songs that she does best. I was lucky enough to meet her at the stage door afterwards too and she said that she has really enjoyed the 2 nights at Cadogan Hall, she seems to be on top form both professionally and generally in her wellbeing, she seemed really relaxed, warm and happy. Thanks Ruthie for a fantastic evening!

I have to add what a fantastic venue Cadogan Hall is!!!

I saw this on Friday and thought Ruthie sounded great. I hated the arrangements though and the big band. It should have been billed as the big band with special guest Ruthie. I really don't understand why they had to mess the arrangements around so much and play everything SO slowly. I left at half time as I couldn't put up with any more songs being performed so badly.

I hope Ruthie's tour in the autumn is without the big band and focuses on her more. She's very talented with a great voice and great personality on stage.

Amen to that! I have been a huge Ruthie fan for ages so I found this concert incredibly disappointing. It was so badly put together and (to my ears, at least) Ruthie sounded in real trouble vocally. She seemed a shadow of her normal powerhouse self. Hope to catch her tour providing it's with a proper show band doing decent arrangements! Does anyone have a tour schedule?

Seb

We travelled down from Manchester on Saturday especially to see this concert and were really looking forward to it. A nice lunch in the West End and seeing the fantastic State Fair at the Finborough in the afternoon put us in the sort of great mood that absolutely nothing could possibly spoil.......step forward the BBC Big Band. Nothing more to add to the comments about the arrangements apart from....I've never heard a more self-indulgent, overly loud racket in my life. Poor Ruthie, having to compete with that

I would have to agree with the people that said she wasn't on the best form vocally, but it really wouldn't have mattered had she given the greatest performance of her life as nobody would have heard it over the band anyway.

And here's a hint BBC Big Band lads...you have somebody on stage with the huge star quality of Ms Henshall. Why do you think anybody actually cares about your gurning drummer's 10 minute solo?

On a disappointment scale of 1 to 10, this was a great big 11

Not just to your ears. Agree her stage presence is magnificent and when her voice is on, it is ON - she packs a massive amount into it. But I (and my companion) thought she was flat on more than one occasion on Friday night. "Somewhere" in particular was real disappointment. "Man That Got Away" on the other hand was a total showstopper, it was terrific.

Here's hoping a tour without a massive overly-loud band (and a very *very* odd drum solo) will showcase her not inconsiderable talent.

Curious - I don't think she's performed since last autumn at Lloyd-Webber's birthday celebration in Hyde Park, has she?

Absolutely agree about the drum solo (I hate them at the best of times but this was massively inappropriate). I also have the horrible feeling that I now know exactly how that particular drummer looks when nearing the climax of...well you know what I'm talking about, don't you?!

Seb

As a fellow Ruthie fan from Manchester, I've got my tickets for the Bridgewater Hall's Songs from the Musicals night this December with special guest, Ruthie Henshall!!

Just alerting you to this, because I've never seen it advertised - I just stumbled across it when browsing one boring afternoon.

It's on her website in the News section - see here.

She's also singing at the Barbican on 2 January 2010...

I quite fancied the Barbican concert until I noticed it was being produced by Raymond Gubbay....