Symphony - Shelley Rivers

Stage Door Theatre - Prince of Wales Covent Garden - Shelley Rivers - 08/09/2024

September 9th 2024

The courageous and fierce Shelley Rivers turns musical theatre classics into her own, puts on a glamourous show and becomes the master of many incredible quick changes!

Review:

Stage Door theatre is in the heart of the West End, it's a fantastic venue and there have been some brilliant productions put on there. Who knew the upstairs of a pub can turn into a professional theatre space. 'Symphony' the fabulous, one woman show was one of the latest pieces to play at this venue. It was a one night only performance, written and performed by Shelley Rivers. This actress has performed in previous stage door productions this year: 'Tailor Made Man' and 'Marry me a little'. This actress has featured in so many fantastic shows and also featured in the television show on ITV in 2022 in the talent show 'Starstuck', which is mentioned in the show. Shelley trained to be an actress/singer at Laine Theatre Arts and she also had training in classical singing/opera. The love for classical music she has shone very brightly in this show.

The songs in the piece were all used to tell the audience about her love for theatre and how it became her passion. She did not hold back on the glitz and glamour. The piece starts with her singing 'The Phantom of The Opera' before entering the room, which creates anticipation in the audience. She then appears, as if from no where (very phantom) and walks through the audience in a dazzling bright blue long dress with feathers. This beginning set the scene for the whole show, she grasps the audience with her natural confidence and charm. The songs chosen were songs that you could tell meant alot to her, which is clear from the power and commitment she had when performing them.

It was clear the costumes picked fitted the songs that she had chosen. For instance, the bright blue feathery dress has a slit down the side and the second song she sang was 'Part of your world' from the Disney film 'The Little Mermaid' (1989). She sits on a stall when she performs the song and the shape of the dress and her sat on the stall gave the image of a mermaid sat on a rock. This image was highlighted by the image of her coming out of the water in a turqouse dress that was projected on the back wall. There were other fantastic moments that highlighted that costume was inspired by the songs chosen, such as her ruby red slippers when she sings 'Somewhere over the rainbow' from 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939). This was a brilliant moment that referenced back to her participation in 'Starstruck' 2022.

What was interesting to watch was how she would go from being Shelley to performing as the characters in the songs she is singing. There was a section where she talks about 'The Greatest Showman' (2017) and how it irritated her how the opera singer character in the film Jenny Lind, when she sings her song 'Never Enough' it's not operatic at all. Then, Shelley performs this song, you see her transform from 'Shelley the girl from Stoke' to Jenny Lind the opera singer, you can see it in her mannerisms, how she grabs the crowd and the power in her voice. It is truly magical. The show flowed well; from the comedic anecdotes to the songs to help tell her journey, they all meshed together to make a grand show.

When she talks about her journey she talks about another actor who has been a big part of her journey, Dereck Walker and he is the guest in her show. He came on between quick changes and also did a duet with her. The dynamic between the too is a animated and wholesome friendship. Dereck enhances the comedy of the piece. The sections that he came on he kept the energy levels going and the audienced engaged. This was a really clever choice from Shelley!

The piece as a whole is the perfect recipe for a lovely evening for someone who is a lover of musical theatre or the classics. Shelley was very natural on stage and she kept it very real. The transitions between scenes could be smoother with some choreographed blocking, this would keep the energy levels between songs maintained. The anecdotes between songs were very comfortable and natural, she would comment on how much hard work the songs were, but when she sang she made them look so effortless and beautiful. Maintaining this effortless charm would keep the audience entranced and in awe of her marvellous talent. However, it was also comforting to see her being unapologetically herself and it did show how much work she had put into the show.

The best way to end the week on a high. Watching an incredibly talented, strong woman show her devotion and appreciation to the shows/songs that helped mould her into the actress she is today.