Review: Love Life - West End Unites Against Cancer (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Review by Daz Gale

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2026 has kicked off with an abundance of concerts in the West End, many of which are taking place each Sunday at the iconic Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Following last week’s premiere of Jo - The Little Women Musical, it’s fair to say that Love Life has been the one most people have been excited about by far, largely due to its staggering star-studded cast. Rarely do you see a group of such talent gathered on one stage, with My Favorite Things - Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert at the same theatre in 2023 being the last event in the same league. With a cast boasting the very best of the West End and Broadway, hopes were understandably high for this concert, which makes it all the more impressive that these impossibly high expectations were not only met, but surpassed in a big way.

Before I get into the concert itself, it is important to say why all of these acclaimed performers gave up their time and came together for this one, very memorable night. With the full title of the show being Love Life - West End Unites Against Cancer, it is all in the name of charity, specifically One For The Boys - a charity specialising in men’s health, putting the spotlight on men’s cancers that are not as often talked about, and bringing it centre stage. The night featured a series of filmed speeches from legends including Samuel L. Jackson and Leslie Odom Jr, all speaking of the importance of this charity and the good they do in the world. Each video proved powerful and reminded us why we were all there - though we were having the time of our lives with this dream of a cast, every donation made helps fund their vital work to improve early detection of cancer in men and support the mental health impact of cancer.

The night was hosted by West End stars, Melanie La Barrie and Joel Montague, introducing the acts and keeping a sense of order to the proceedings… sort of. When Melanie La Barrie hosts anything, chaos and hilarity are sure to follow, in the best possible way. Her charisma and comic timing means she lights up the stage at every opportunity with quick one-liners and ad-libs that showcased her winning personality. When it came to her time to sing, her take on ‘No Time At All’ from Pippin was filled with hilarious spoken lines about how young she is and why this song was chosen for her. Joel Montague also got his time to sing, reprising his role of King George in Hamilton for a royally good ‘You’ll Be Back’, even getting the approval from original West End cast member Giles Terera who rushed on to the stage to applaud. Joel was joined by his wife, Carrie Hope Fletcher for a beautiful duet of ‘Suddenly Seymour’ in a sweet moment that perfectly showcased both of their talents.

There really wasn’t a dull moment to be found during this concert, with each performer bringing their A-game, and ensuring their out-of-this w-orld vocals almost threatened to see the Drury Lane stage buckle with the weight of their talents. After wowing audiences with one of the best concerts of last year in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ben Joyce reprised the role for a rousing ‘Out There’, while Jordan Luke Gage tackled ‘Waving Through A Window’ from Dear Evan Hansen, as well as pairing up with Bella Brown for a performance of charity single ‘Say Something’. Lucie Jones gave London audiences a taste of the West End-bound 13 Going On 30, while Ramin Karimloo debuted his new single ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ from Beauty and the Beast as well as delivering one of the best vocals of the night with ‘Till I Hear You Sing’.

It would be hard to single out standout performances as they were all so fantastic. However, Act Two opener Alex Newell delivered one of the greatest vocals of the night with a blisteringly good ‘Home’ from The Wiz, giving audiences a taste of what they can expect when they appear on the same stage next week for Once On This Island (alongside co-host Melanie La Barrie). Bringing a group of well-loved performers like this together always allows for a unique opportunity for collaborations, sometimes with performers who rarely or have never sung together before. This led to a particularly poignant duet from Carrie Hope Fletcher and Lucie Jones tackling ‘For Good’ from Wicked in memoriam to those who have been lost to cancer, including Waitress alumni Gavin Creel, whose name came up multiple times throughout the evening, with Giles Terera dedicating Bob Dylan’s ‘He Was A Friend Of Mine’ to his memory. 

There was one common theme among the group of performers, and that was Jamie Lloyd’s greatest hits, with three cast members from Evita present. Diego Andres Rodriguez, James Olivas and Bella Brown reunited for a gorgeous ‘What I Did For Love’ from A Chorus Line, but it was Rodriguez and Olivas’ duet on ‘You’re Nothing Without Me’ that proved to be one of the standout performances of the night. Their camaraderie and banter were on full display as they attempted to one-up each other on the hilarious number, with some changed lyrics to comment on “Che from Evita”. Certainly the biggest laugh of the night, it left me longing to see a full show of the two of them together. A special mention should also go to Olivas’ gorgeous solo on ‘Being Alive’, while Rodriguez and Brown each got moments to shine too with appropriate opener ‘Something’s Coming’ and ‘Someone Like You’.

Evita wasn’t the only Jamie Lloyd show present, however, with another iconic show making a comeback… sorry, I mean return. David Thaxton kicked off the return of Sunset Boulevard cast members with a mesmerising ‘Love Changes Everything’, the first big vocal of the night. Tom Francis made his long-awaited return to the West End stage with a sensational performance of ‘Heaven On Their Minds’ from Jesus Christ Superstar, leaving myself and many others in the audience wondering if we could see him in Jamie Lloyd’s next production this summer - if this performance was anything to go by, his Judas would certainly be one for the ages.

There was one star we were all waiting for, and so it was fitting that Nicole Scherzinger closed the show, living up to Norma Desmond’s belief of being the greatest star of all. There’s a reason why her performance in the show won her both an Olivier and Tony Award, and as she reprised the role for ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’, she truly had come home at last, filling the stage with the vocal performance of the night, and receiving an immediate and well-deserved standing ovation. She reunited with her Joe Gillis as Tom Francis joined her for a relatively random but still brilliant duet of ‘Let Me Be Your Star’ from Smash! (bring it to the West End) before Scherzinger closed the show with ‘I Am What I Am’ - perhaps not the greatest song of the night, but as we were all still recovering from the two numbers that had preceded it, I’m not sure anyone was able to take another.

The concert was held together by musical director and conductor, Alan Williams, leading an impeccable orchestra to bring some of the most well-loved numbers of musical theatre and beyond to life. As well as accompanying each performer, the overture, entr’acte and post curtain-call numbers were exhilarating to listen to. These concerts have a habit of being plagued with sound problems, but Love Life went off without a hitch, with Sam Clarkson’s sound design ensuring every word was always heard and nothing was ever lost. A strong use of lighting from Peter Small, and clear direction from Ruper Hands meant this concert wasn’t just good - it was as good as it gets.

There are some concerts that will stay in my memory as long as I live. The initial one-off Old Friends concert for Stephen Sondheim ahead of its eventual West End and Broadway runs ranks at the top. Never did I think anything could come close to that impeccable evening, but Love Life may well be the best I have experienced in the years since. A stunning line-up full of standout performances and an eclectic yet electric setlist made this evening a joy from start to finish. However, it is the knowledge that we were all there for an important cause, and helping to raise both money and awareness for the charity that made the real significance of the evening shine through. While the event may have been joyous, there was a seriousness behind it that never left our minds, thanks to the messages and videos played throughout. An incredibly well put together concert, I hope these big One For The Boys concerts become an annual tradition in the West End and the amazing work they do continues to go from strength to strength.

Setlist:

Diego Andres Rodriguez - Something’s Coming

David Thaxton - Love Changes Everything

Ben Joyce - Out There

Jordan Luke Gage - Waving Through A Window

Bella Brown - Someone Like You

Carrie Hope Fletcher - Loose Ends

Carrie Hope Fletcher & Joel Montague - Suddenly Seymour

Ramin Karimloo - If I Can’t Love Her

Giles Terera - He Was a Friend Of Mine

Bella Brown & Jordan Luke Gage - Say Something

Lucie Jones - That Moment In Time

Joel Montague - You’ll Be Back

Diego Andres Rodriguez & James Olivas - You’re Nothing Without Me

Alex Newell - Home

Bella Brown, Diego Andres Rodriguez & James Olivas - What I Did For Love

Ben Joyce - Goodbye

Melanie La Barrie - No Time At All

Ramin Karimloo - Till I Hear You Sing

Carrie Hope Fletcher & Lucie Jones - For Good

James Olivas - Being Alive

Tom Francis - Heaven On Their Minds

Nicole Scherzinger - As If We Never Said Goodbye

Nicole Scherzinger & Tom Francis - Let Me Be Your Star 

Nicole Scherzinger - I Am What I Am

Setlist not completely in the correct order

Love Life - West End Unites Against Cancer played at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 1st February 2026.

Head to www.onefortheboys.com to find out more about the important work the charity does, and to make a donation if you wish to do so.