Lucie Jones and David Hunter were due to make their long awaited return to Waitress after two months away on the exact day theatres in London shut down. Robbed of the chance to say goodbye to Jenna and Dr Pomatter, the stars decided to join forces for a one off concert to celebrate that little pie show and get some much needed closure. To quote the pair "This is the reunion we were robbed of".
Fans had been waiting for months to get a fix of Lucie and David, and little did they know they'd be waiting a while longer. The show started 20 minutes late - according to David this was because Lucie unplugged the WiFi router to charge her phone (#ShesNotAMonster). When it did start, it was well and truly worth the wait.
Performing live to an audience consisting of crew and one lucky competition winner, the setlist was of course Waitress heavy. Fans of the now closed show were craving some of the iconic songs from the show and the pair didn't disappoint. Not only did we get 'It Only Takes A Taste', 'Bad Idea' and 'You Matter To Me', we were also treated to two songs that nearly made it into the show, with David performing the beautiful 'Without A Believer' and Lucie performing a genius mash-up of 'Door Number Three' and the song that replaced it 'What Baking Can Do'. The song everybody wanted to hear was saved for the end with David and Lucie singing a stunning duet of 'She Used To Be Mine'. The show also featured a story of how the pair auditioned for the show together, quickly becoming friends as they waited to finally share the stage together.
Aside from that, the setlist was more varied than some may have expected. Songs from Ben Platt, Ed Sheeran, Liza Minelli and JP Saxe were among the songs performed. Those expecting songs from Kinky Boots or Legally Blonde were at the wrong show. The fact you never knew what was coming next was part of what made this show so unique and exciting to watch. David and Lucie also set eachother a "Historical song swap" challenge with each performing a song from the others past. Lucie chose a song David Hunter messed up on the TV competition Superstar while David performed Lucie's amazing Eurovision entry 'Never Give Up On You'.
It would be remiss of me to not talk about the sheer talent on display. David Hunter and Lucie Jones are two of the finest talents the West end has to offer and their vocals were on point throughout the show (even if they did both criticise themselves for flat notes and bad riffs). Whether they were making you laugh or cry, one thing was constant - they were always entertaining,
There's one thing you'd expect at a Lucie Jones and David Hunter concert and that's banter, and boy was there banter? Between David throwing a bottle at Lucie (not as violent as it sounds) or questioning the meaning of life in the form of "What if this is The Truman Show and it's me?", the pair had you in stitches throughout the show and made it abundantly clear why they were such a winning pair performing together in Waitress. Things also got serious at moments with Lucie questioning the government's approach to supporting the arts this year with the tongue in cheek comment "Singing's always for fun. It's a hobby, isn't it?".
While the laughs were regular, there were also moments of sadness as they got emotional about Waitress closing and how upsetting seeing closed theatres are. It was obvious David and Lucie had a lot of genuine love not only for the show but for eachother. Their chemistry leapt off the stage and right into your living room (or bedroom or bathroom as they pondered where people might be watching it).
While nothing could beat a final performance of Waitress, this helped give fans of the show the closure they needed and deserved. That being said, with the chemistry and joy Lucie and David exude, let's hope this isn't the last we see of the pair on stage together. They have the makings of a good double act and could go on to follow other successful duos like Ball & Boe, Ant & Dec and Jedward. I'll definitely be there for any further concerts they do together.
★★★★★
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