It has been the annual love nest for all Eurovision and West End theatre lovers since 2005. And last Sunday, the two passions merged at London’s Adelphi Theatre for 2019’s edition of West End Eurovision. As in previous years, the show continues to provide a platform for HIV education and awareness amongst theatre lovers, and to celebrate all things Eurovision.
With 7 acts performing, the show opened with the debut act of Only Fools and Horses who recreated the performance of Verka Serduchka’s “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”. Layton Williams, the star behind Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and the rest of the cast entertained us with boys-on-girls choreography with the most recent Eurovision winning song “Toy”. Aladdin‘s cast made us all look for Saara Aalto’s “Monsters” under our seats, while the Mamma Mia cast gave us gothic vibes with Hera Bjork’s “Je Ne Sais Quoi”. The Wicked cast’s take-on at Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” was an absolute banger, while the cast of Follies expertly covered Marie Myriam‘s “L’oiseau et L’enfant”.
The Phantom of the Opera and their rendition of Il Volo’s “Grande Amore” bagged them the win on the night. Their stellar performance, which included two costume changes and a whole lot of pipes, pleased both public vote and the jury of each competing show.
This was also a first back-to-back win for a show in the 9-years history of West End Eurovision.
However, their win did not come easy – in a gripping points reveal only Eurovision can make, the runner-ups Follies were just 8 points short of the triumph. In a sea of glitter, skin-tight clothes and a few dizzy gymnastic tricks, 4 gorgeous chanteuses including West End legend, Janie Dee sang their way to our hearts with Eurovision’s 1977 hit “L’oiseau et L’enfant” by Marie Myriam.
WEST END EUROVISION FULL RESULTS
- The Phantom of the Opera – “Grande Amore” (Italy 2015) 88 votes
- Follies – “L’oiseau et l’Enfant” (France 1977) 80 votes
- Wicked – “Wild Dances” (Ukraine 2004) 62 votes
- Alladin – “Monsters” (Finland 2018) 52 votes
- Mamma Mia – “Je Ne Sais Quoi” (Iceland 2010) 42 votes
- Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – “Toy” (Israel 2018) 40 votes
- Only Fools and Horses – “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” (Ukraine 2007) 16 votes
The musical battle had 3 other awards – that’s to give each competing act a reward for what they were best at.
The Best Ident Award (that’s the Eurovision postcard, y’all)– the award voted for by public text vote – was won by Everyone’s Talking About Jamie. The new Outstanding Gorgeousness Award – judged by costume designer Fly Davies and Jamie Campbell – went to the overall winners The Phantom of the Opera for their bold costume changes on the night. The cast of Wicked won the Best Creative Award.
And would a Eurovision event be complete without the special interval acts? Absolutely not. UK’s Michael Rice treated the crowd to a live performance of “Bigger Than Us”. The crowd responded positively, and it was wonderful to see UK’s 2019 act grow in confidence as he belted the song with power and passion.
Dana International flew from Israel to London to relive her Eurovision moments and to perform “Diva” – the song that secured her the Eurovision title in 1998. But before the grand moment, we were treated to a disco tune from her back catalogue. Bless the queen!
Melanie Tranter, the chair of ‘Make A Difference Trust’ explains that the event has an everlasting reach:
“Last night’s event was a testament to the generosity of the amazing people in the theatre community coming together to support the Trust. The funds raised will help us to continue our work supporting those living with of affected by HIV and AIDS.”
What did you think of the winning performance? Are you excited to see Dana, and Michael, at Eurovision this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
The concept of West End Eurovision, and all the wonderful work that goes into it, is fabulous. Good to know that the show is doing so well.
(I’ve wanted to go for a few years now, but it never seems to fall on a date that works for me, as I’ve always been away!)
Thank you for writing about this. 🙂
I agree, it’s also a well-written piece. Thanks Mario.