For many musical theatre fan, listening to cast albums is often to only way to get a taste of certain broadway shows. Although many shows which originate in New York end up transferring to the West End eventually, there are many others which fall by the wayside. An example of the latter is the 2012 Disney theatrical production, Newsies. There was a time a few years ago when Newsies was all I would listen to, and as such I became a huge fan of show's star Jeremy Jordan.
After leaving Newsies (but not before bagging a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical) Jordan went on to appear in a number of high profile musicals, TV shows and movies, and secured a name for himself as one of Broadway's most reliable and versatile leading men.
When the Broadway superstar announced a series of 3 concerts at London's Hippodrome Casino, it was obvious that demand for tickets would be huge. After all, Jeremy Jordan had amassed a vast and varied fan base throughout his career, having starred in Broadway shows such as the aforementioned Newsies as well as Bonnie and Clyde and West Side Story, films such as Joyful Noise and The Last 5 Years, as well as TV shows such as Smash and Supergirl. When tickets went on sale, over 5000 people tried to purchase them, and the venue's ticket website experienced so much traffic that it literally crashed. Thankfully though, against all the odds my friend and I managed to bag two tickets for the Thursday 8pm show, and so all that was left was to wait and wait for that day to arrive!
From the moment he stepped on stage (to rapturous applause, naturally!) Jeremy Jordan seemed totally at ease and immediately likeable. In addition to treating the audience to a number of his 'greatest hits' such as Broadway Here I Come, a song from the fictional musical Hit List, which his character Jimmy wrote on the TV show Smash, and Bonnie from the short lived but hugely popular Broadway musical Bonnie and Clyde, he also took time to tell the audience about his life and career in his own words, as well as treating us to a couple of songs which he himself had written. I actually really enjoyed these original songs and will definitely be buying Jeremy Jordan's upcoming debut album when it is released.
Jeremy Jordan is such a talented performer, and just being at the concert had me grinning from ear to ear throughout, but a few moments really stood out. Firstly, it was a treat to hear him sing Moving Too Fast from Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last 5 Years. The musical itself is one of my favorites, and hearing Jeremy Jordan (who starred in the musical's 2012 film adaptation opposite Anna Kendrick) sing the song with such flair and enthusiasm was a real highlight. Equally, when Jordan invited his wife Ashley Spencer to join him on stage and duet the musical theatre staple Take Me Or Leave Me it was clear how much fun the pair were having, and that enthusiasm was shared by the audience, who went wild for the no holds barred performance. However, perhaps the most magical part of the evening came right at the end, when the audience was treated to a breathtaking rendition of Santa Fe, from Newsies. For me, at least, Newsies was my first introduction to Jeremy Jordan's talent and so hearing him perform such a powerful song live was just spectacular.
Sadly, Jeremy Jordan has now played all of his UK concerts, and has returned to America where he will next be seen as Tony in the Hollywood Bowl concert of West Side Story. It was such a delight to experience such a high profile Broadway actor give such an enjoyable and intimate concert here in London, and I really hope this isn't the last time he crosses the pond. It is clear, judging by the demand for tickets, that he has thousands of fans here in the UK, and I know that I would certainly jump at the chance to see him perform again!
