West End stars announced for The Barn Theatre’s Finn Anderson virtual concert

A line up of West End stars will sing the music of Finn Anderson in a virtual concert.

The Barn Theatre has announced an all-star line up for their second virtual concert, The Barn Theatre Presents: The Music of Finn Anderson, which will celebrate the work of the Scottish musical theatre composer Finn Anderson.

The concert will be hosted by Barn Theatre producer Jamie Chapman Dixon and released on the Barn Theatre’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter channels on 23rd May 2020 at 7:30pm BST.

Finn Anderson previously collaborated with the Barn Theatre on the music and lyrics for the theatre’s 2019 world premiere of Alan Pollock’s new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Olivier Award nominee Patrick Ryecart (The Crown, The King’s Speech). He is also an Off West End Award nominee for his musical Islander and was recently announced as 2020’s Cameron Mackintosh resident composer at the Lowry and Hope Mill Theatre.

The concert line up consists of: Christina Bianco, Joanne Clifton, Niki Evans, Claire-Marie Hall, Matt Henry, Danielle Hope, Rebecca Jayne-Davies, Brienne Keller, Emmanuel Kojo, Nicholas McLean, Oliver Ormson and Ella Young.

Olivier award-winner Matt Henry will perform a duet with first year drama school student Ella Young, who has recently been taking the internet by storm with her rendition of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked.

Claire-Marie Hall (The Grinning Man, The Wicker Husband) and Rebecca Jayne-Davies (Daddy Long Legs, Half A Sixpence) have also been announced to be cast members in the Barn Theatre’s ongoing Shakespeare in lockdown series, Bard From The Barn.

The Barn Theatre’s first virtual concert celebrated the music of married Welsh composers Daniel and Laura Curtis. The concert featured performances from Sabrina Aloueche, Olivier Award nominee Jon Jon Briones, Kieran Brown, Brian Cheney, Maria Coyne, Alice Fearn, Caroline Kay, Luke McCall, Nadim Naaman and Oliver Savile.

The third concert of the series will celebrate the music of Loserville composer Elliot Davis. The concert will air on 6 June 2020 at 7:30pm BST, the concert line up will be announced at a further date.

The series forms part of the Barn Theatre’s Behind The Barn Door live streaming service, set up in March when the theatre had to temporarily close following government guidance.

The Barn Theatre (registered charity no. 1174253), which is facing a loss of £250,000 and possible permanent closure, have launched their SAVE OUR BARN campaign, via their website and social media platforms, to ensure the Barn Theatre’s survival.

About the author: Josh Darvill

Josh is Stageberry's editor with over five years of experience writing about theatre in the West End and across the UK. Prior to following his passion for musicals, he worked for more than a decade as a TV journalist.