One thing I know for certain in this world is that Jeremy Jordan, alongside his musical director (and medley-making extraordinaire) Benjamin Rauhala, know how to put on a good show!
First time I saw this iconic duo was in 2016 at a tiny venue at the Hippodrome Casino. It couldn’t have seated more than 150 people (I’m guesstimating, but it was tiny). Now they’re playing two sold out nights at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane which seats close to 2,200 people. You could say they had a glow up!
Jeremy’s London concerts have been known to pull out some unexpected delights. In 2018 his Cadogan Hall shows were rescheduled due to conflicting work commitments. So what did he do? He pulled out all the stops to sing some of the most difficult songs from his repertoire (including the full version of ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’). A year later, he came back again with many showstoppers, most notably a beautiful medley of songs from ‘The Greatest Showman’.
His Drury Lane concert definitely had some fantastic surprises. Guest appearances from Frances Mayli McCann and Andy Mientus certainly spiced up the evening. We also got a new song from his band, Age of Madness! The structure of the show saw Act 1 revolving around his love for this side of the pond, whilst Act 2 touched on a much more personal side.
One of my favourite parts was most definitely hearing him sing songs from his ‘Carry On’ show from his 54 Below stint a couple of years back. I watched the proshot of this during lockdown and it’s a really special show that comes straight from the heart. During these songs we saw Jeremy tell tragic stories from his childhood through the eyes of youthful innocence. He somehow made me both laugh and cry all at the same time.
We were also treated to a gorgeous rendition of Adele’s ‘When We Were Young’ and a beautiful medley of songs selected from past Drury Lane shows. But the encore… oh god, the encore! It was a medley of songs from shows running in London right now which included ‘You’ll Be Back’, ‘Meant To Be Yours’, ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Let It Go’. Human ears have never been more blessed than in that moment.
Jeremy Jordan is such a captivating and versatile performer who can easily grab the attention of any room. He takes us on a journey with him, weaving both humorous and emotional storytelling throughout the songs he performs. Every time I see him perform, he absolutely blows me away. Jeremy has a certain charm about him that always makes you want to come back and see more!
Who’s your favourite theatre performer you’ve seen live? Let me know in the comments!