Bring Him Home Gala | St. Davids Hall | 22th May 2016
By emma.
I don’t know how many charity “musical selection box” events the average Sprouter attends, but I think this is my fifth. Three of those have been spurred on by the inclusion of Christopher Jacobsen, one of my favourite West End stars.
“Bring Him Home” at St David’s Hall, was no different. Jacobsen’s inclusion piqued my interest, and the inclusion of other ex-Les Mis-ers David Thaxton and David Shannon cemented my attendance. Shannon was definitely the highlight of the evening – even making me enjoy the creepy role of the Phantom.
Unfortunately, aside from the Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera sections (and the inevitable inclusion of “Anthem” from Chess), the choice of songs was somewhat unfamiliar.
The night was in aid of Welsh Hearts, a charity looking to provide more defibrillators to more communities in Wales. Not including ticket sales, a raffle on the night raised more than £600 for the charity.
Ex-stars of the West End musical were met with the young and growing stars from across Wales, including 18-year-old Jodi Bird who gained international attention for her performances on Britain’s Got Talent. Bird’s renditions included a variety of show tunes including ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ which she sang on ITV’s talent show, having amassed 14 million views on Youtube.
While many of performers gave hair-raising performances throughout the night, one that stood out was Burry Port’s Osian Wyn Bowen who played Jean Valjean in the Welsh language version of Les Miserables which premiered in December last year.
Despite being just 19 years old, Bowen’s booming voice has such qualities that reverberate across the room. Joining the other Les Miserables stars to perform Bring Him Home, Bowen’s section brought a whole new life to the song.
Welsh Hearts hosts many fundraising events throughout the year. For more information, click here.
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Image Credit to After Dark
