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Never have I ever arrived at Liverpool Empire feeling more wiped out, worn down and totally lacking in festive spirit and sparkle.Arriving direct on the back of 2 twelve hour days, carrying the standard mental and emotional load that is seemingly the norm at this time of year, coupled with increasing covid confusion; I was caught between “I need a break!” and “what are you thinking, you don’t have time for this” but, with our annual panto already cancelled and increased restrictions becoming more likely we thought sod it, who knows when we’ll be able to do this again- Enjoy! And enjoy we did.
The Piano bar was the perfect place to leave the day behind and catch up with a friend and glass of fizz. Wearing masks is mandatory throughout the venue unless you are eating or drinking and you need to show a negative test result or covid pass to attend but the team manage this really well.
Although I love lots of the songs, I’ve never seen the film Dreamgirls and didn’t know much about the story at all. In short it is loosely based on the story of Motown, Soul and the careers of the girl groups of the day such as the Supremes and the Ronettes. It covers the various struggles they face to reach the top and the toll it takes on them individually. Really though; it’s all about the music and, for me- specifically the incredible voice of Effie White played by Nicole Raquel Dennis. She had fabulous stage presence and her acting and emotion reminded me of Lydia West from It’s a Sin which can only be a good thing (if you’ve not seen it yet please do).
If you’re looking for a critique, not just a review; I felt that there was room for more depth and dialogue to explore the characters and their relationships but that didn’t really matter. The show is about motown, soul and spectacular singing. SPECTACULAR. The two lead females are supremely talented. If you’re looking for something to put the sparkle in your season this will definitely do the trick.
If you have a chance to see anything live this season and support our theatres and live events please do. They need all the love and support to survive and share crackers like this with us for years to come.