BBC unveils primetime musical celebration shows, with performances recorded at the Palladium
© Far left: Pamela Raith, all others: Dan Wooller
The BBC has unveiled a major series of shows across TV and radio to celebrate all things musical theatre.
Sheridan Smith will spearhead the celebration, titled Musicals: The Greatest Show, initially taking place on BBC Radio 2 from 7pm to 9pm on Sunday 31 January, with a BBC One broadcast to follow in February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It will be available on BBC iPlayer for a year after broadcast.
The event will feature vocalists from across the globe including a plethora of performances captured at The London Palladium:
– Smith and Amanda Holden will duet on "I Know Him So Well"
– Gavin Spokes, from the West End production of Hamilton, will perform "You'll Be Back"
– Michael Ball performs "You Can't Stop The Beat" from Hairspray
– Sheridan Smith performs "Don't Rain On My Parade" from Funny Girl
– Ivano Turco performs "Only You, Lonely You" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella
– From Los Angeles, Nicole Scherzinger performs "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman
– Josh Groban sings "The Impossible Dream" from Man Of La Mancha (on Radio 2 only)
– Elaine Paige with Sunset Boulevard's "As If We Never Said Goodbye" (on Radio 2 only)
– Cast of Six perform "Six"
– Ramin Karimloo sings "The Music Of The Night" from The Phantom Of The Opera
– Mazz Murray, Kate Graham and Jo Napthine of MAMMA MIA! perform "Dancing Queen"
– Aisha Jawando of the West End production of TINA, The Tina Turner Musical performs "The Best"
– Lea Salonga performs "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Misérables – with her performance recorded in Manila
– Layton Williams of Everybody's Talking About Jamie performs "The Wall In My Head"
– Sam Tutty sings "You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen, alongside members of the West End cast
– Nicole Raquel Dennis of "Dreamgirls" with And I Am Telling You
– Kerry Ellis sings "Defying Gravity" from Wicked
– Christine Allado and Alexia Khadime perform "When You Believe" from The Prince Of Egypt (on Radio 2 only)
– Jac Yarrow, with the public, performing "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat
Across the weekend from Friday 29 January to Sunday 31 January, BBC Radio 2 will air an assortment of shows exploring musicals. Elaine Paige, Radio 2 presenter, said: "Musicals are such a huge part of my life, as they are for so many of my friends and colleagues, so to be unable to perform or go to the theatre for most of last year was devastating for us all. Radio 2 Celebrates Musicals is a way for us all to come together, to be uplifted and sing out loud to the world's best show tunes."
In January and February, BBC Four will be broadcasting documentaries such as West Side Stories: The Making Of A Classic, Sings Musicals, Imagine – Cameron Mackintosh: The Musical Man, and Imagine – Andrew Lloyd Webber: Memories.
