Review: Cassidy Janson - Live at the Vaudeville Theatre

Review by Daz Gale

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It was fitting that a day after this year’s Olivier Awards, an Olivier winner would make her long-awaited return to the West End and that is exactly what happened when Cassidy Janson took to the stage at the Vaudeville Theatre as part of the Westway Sessions series of concerts. Having not been seen in the West End since the role that bagged her the Olivier in &Juliet concluded two years ago (aside from a brief reappearance in the one night only Austenland two weeks ago), there was clearly an appetite to experience Cassidy’s incomparable vocals again – but would this concert prove to be another winning performance from her?

If you are unfamiliar with Cassidy’s work so far, you may know her from her turns as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and April/Anne Hathaway (not that one) in &Juliet. Of course both of those shows were represented in the setlist with Cassidy’s standout rendition of Celine Dion’s ‘That’s The Way It Is’ proving every bit as rousing at this concert as it always did in the context of the show. It wasn’t the only Celine song on offer, with Cassidy reprising her performance of ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’ from Strictly Come Dancing to once again demonstrate why she is up there with one of the most legendary living vocalists there is.

Cassidy has become fairly synonymous with Carole King given her sensational portrayal of her in Beautiful, and she didn’t skimp on the Carole songs in this concert, filling the 18 song setlist with seven of her classics. There is something very right about Cassidy’s vocals on Carole’s songs in a perfect marriage of music. Getting the chance to hear her take on these numbers again was, to quote the show itself, beautiful. Getting the audience in the palm of her hands from opening number ‘I Feel The Earth Move’, other numbers such as her Leading Ladies (the album Cassidy recorded with Beverley Knight and Amber Riley) version of ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ and a gorgeous ‘So Far Away’ left me nostalgic for one of my favourite musicals but thankful to be able to relive the memories.

An inspired touch saw a double-hitter of James Taylor’s ‘Fire and Rain’ immediately followed by the song Carole King wrote in response, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’. The audience singalong to the latter provided at atmospheric highlight to the evening in a sweet moment that showcases Cassidy’s effortless ability to connect with an audience. A vocal standout came in the form of ‘Nobody’s Side’ from Chess in a performance that provided a real checkmate, while one of Cassidy’s earlier roles in Wicked got a rare outing with an understated ‘I’m Not That Girl’ kicking off act two. Cassidy also treated the audience to two numbers from her self-titled album, showing she is just as captivating singing original numbers as she is the familiar classics  It had to be a bit of Carole that closed the show, however, with ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ demonstrating exactly why Cassidy has wowed audiences time and time again for a number of years now.

If you have been lucky enough to see Cassidy perform in the past, you will be acutely aware of how big her vocal range truly is. Often reaching levels you would not think are humanly possible, she kept impressing throughout the concert, despite the fact she was not feeling her best and battling a sinus infection – her opening words as she bounced on stage as she declared she was slightly high. If this was the quality of a full-length concert from Cassidy Janson when she is not feeling 100%, I can’t imagine how it could get any better than this. The control in her voice and ability to find the emotion in the lyrics makes her an expert storyteller with beauty and depth in everything she sings.

The other strength Cassidy has going for her is her personality. Immediately warning the audience she will probably say something inappropriate and announcing that she is very random, she proved true to her word, leading the audience in repeated chants of “Sudafed”, battling a microphone stand she couldn’t work and beating me at my game for pun work with an excellent story involving a member of ABBA. With her winning sense of humour and infectious personality, you couldn’t help but love her ability to switch from impeccable vocals to random silliness in a concert that ensured the smile stayed on your face from start to finish (apart from the couple of tears I shed during one relatable number).

Seeing Cassidy perform in musicals has always been a thrill, no matter how much stage time each role boasts, so seeing her in a headline concert of her own was a real joy. With an unstoppable voice and a loveable personality, Cassidy may not have felt at her very best during this concert but to me she was undoubtedly at her best. One of the best there is in the business, a fantastic setlist full of favourites and some of the best vocals I have ever heard on a West End stage made sure this concert really was beautiful.

Setlist:

I Feel The Earth Move (Carole King cover)

I Got The Music In Me (Kiki Dee cover)

Here, There and Everywhere (The Beatles cover)

Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Carole King cover)

So Far Away (Carole King cover)

It’s Too Late (Carole King cover)

Nobody’s Side (from Chess)

That’s The Way It Is (Celine Dion cover)

Don’t Rain On My Parade (from Funny Girl)

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I’m Not That Girl (from Wicked)

It’s All Coming Back To Me Now (Celine Dion cover)

Get Here (Oleta Adams cover)

When A Woman

Waiting For The Love Of My Life

Fire and Rain (James Taylor cover)

You’ve Got A Friend (Carole King cover)

Beautiful (Carole King cover)

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Carole King cover)

Cassidy Janson played at the Vaudeville Theatre on 7th April 2025.

There are two more concerts planned for the Westway sessions at the Vaudeville Theatre series – Kerry Ellis on 21st April and Aimie Atkinson on 23rd June. Tickets from https://thevaudevilletheatre.co.uk/tickets/the-westway-sessions-at-the-vaudeville/

You can listen to an episode of my podcast All That Chat with Cassidy here