For those of us who found the post from Collabro sitting in our News Feed on Friday to be a little unnerving …
Don’t worry. Social Media maybe awash with crying imojis, but I can assure you there is nothing to worry about. All it means is that the fabulous five have now become the fantastic four and the show will go on with Jamie, Matt, Tom and Michael as a four piece. We all wish Richard well and we look forward to hearing news of his plans.
So, I finally got to see Collabro preform live in my home town at Jersey’s Fort Regent last night. After those two amazing years, it was their final performance with Richard. Two years? It seems longer since these five young men wowed the Britain’s Got Talent audience and Simon Cowell – no mean feat – and reduced Amanda Holden and myself to tears with their rendition of Bring Him Home from Le Mis.
For those of us with a profound love for the music theatre, an evening with Collabro is a singular experience. To sit back and listen to your favourite show tunes, as well as others, such as That’s Life, interwoven with precision harmonies is indeed a treat to the ears.
What jumps out at you is that they have remained remarkably true to themselves and one forgets, until you actually see them face to face, just how incredibly young they still are. They have taken the world by storm – and yet fame has not changed them – their feet are planted firmly on the ground. The entertainment business is a fickle one and needs treating with respect. One hissy fit moment and it could all be gone. Any show biz bubble can burst. For now, even without Richard, they will continue to ride the crest of the Collabro wave.
The guys are at the top of their game and as we have said before, they are all leading men material in their own right, so it would be no great surprise if any one of them wanted to take time out to diversify. Until then, we look forward to hearing much more from them, including an eagerly awaited album featuring the fantastic four.
Collabro were supported by local artists and the Internationally renowned Bird College which took up the first half of the show. I know I bang on about our local talent but, hey, they should be showcased at events like this more often. I hang my head in shame when I say I had not heard Acapella Jersey perform before.
You were all brilliant guys. It was a mind-blowing extravaganza of dance, music and theatre performance. As for the students of the Bird College, well, I cannot believe that they will struggle to find jobs when they graduate. I could watch them perform again and again.
Filed under: Artist Review, Channel Islands, Entertainment, Expect the Unexpected, Jersey, Music, Music Review, Musicals, The West End Experience, Theatre Tagged: Acapella Jersey, Bird Collage, Callum Gillies, Collabro, Dominic Ferris, Essentials Hip Hop Group, Fort Regent Jersey, Gemma Helen Scholes, Jamie Lambert, Laura Butlin, Matt Pagan, Michael Auger, Richard Hadfield, Silhouette Studios, St. Ouen's School of Dancng, Stuart Gillies, The West End Experience, Thomas J. Redgrave
