Review: Megan Hilty (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of Broadway’s brightest stars swapped the glittering lights of New York for the West End for one night only (and a matinee) as Megan Hilty arrived in London for the first time in eight years. A lot has changed since she was last in London, with her recently completed Tony-nominated stint in Death Becomes Her making her more popular than ever before and attracting a wider audience. Expectations for these huge concerts at Theatre Royal Drury Lane were understandably high, and the excitement inside the theatre was even higher, so would Megan deliver the goods, and would this audience of theatre lovers let her be their star?

For anyone reading this, wondering exactly who this Megan Hilty person is, your lives are about to be richer for finding out. She first came to public attention for her role as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway and the US Tour (a role she did for four and a half years in total), with other credits to her name, including 9 To 5, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Little Shop of Horrors. Her talent reached a whole new audience on this side of the Atlantic with her scene-stealing turn in the short-lived but deeply loved TV series Smash, and was most recently seen on Broadway, originating the role of Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her. It was Smash that turned me into a fan of hers, and this concert gave me the chance to right a wrong I have regretted for the last eight years - having purchased tickets to her last London concert at Cadogan Hall in 2018, a clash meant I didn’t end up going and have longed for the opportunity to witness her talents in person ever since. Needless to say, she did not disappoint.

Among the songs Megan is most associated with, one of the most ahem “popular” ones would be the showstopping Smash number ‘They Just Keep Moving The Line’ - a song that has formed part of a setlist for many a musical theatre concert over the last decade. It was a huge shock to discover that would kick off Megan’s setlist - surely a song like that should be saved for later on. Anyone wondering what Megan was thinking by kicking off with such a big song should have trusted her judgment, as what followed was two hours of absolute perfection.

That iconic opening number was swiftly followed by two numbers from Wicked, before two from 9 To 5, short-lived on Broadway but much more appreciated during its West End run. Hilty also treated the audience to a performance of ‘Crazy’ from the TV movie Patsy & Loretta, where she portrayed Patsy Cline. London audiences have been clamouring for a bit of Death Becomes Her, and while we wait for news of a hopeful West End transfer, 4000 lucky audience members across two performances got to see Madeline Ashton in the flesh with an immaculate rendition of ‘For The Gaze’, kicking off Act Two and giving the gays everything they want. If and when Death Becomes Her does make the leap to London, let’s hope Megan opts to reprise her role, as it really needs to be seen to be believed.

Speaking of giving people what they want, these musical theatre concerts can be a bit of a mixed bag, with performers opting to try out various genres, original material or any number of random songs. While that isn’t a bad thing, Megan Hilty knew what this audience wanted to hear and curated a flawless setlist of pretty much all the numbers she is best associated with. In fact, the only song on the setlist from a show she hadn’t starred in was a song requested by many on the Internet. What followed was a beautiful and restrained ‘She Used To Be Mine’, full of emotion and beautifully displaying Hilty’s ability to tell a story and embody a character.

That character acting was in full force for ‘Popular’ from Wicked and ‘Backwards Barbie’ from 9 To 5, where Hilty demonstrated her incredible vocal range, extending beyond singing and allowing for a fully rounded characterisation, not something you often see in concerts such as this. While there were no special guests joining her for this concert, Megan’s husband Brian Gallagher moved from his position in the band to front and centre for a sweet duet of ‘Suddenly Seymour’, while he and musical director Matt Cusson also took on the roles of Helen and Ernest for ‘Tell Me, Ernest’ from Death Becomes Her.

Smash fans were in for several treats and were sure not to be disappointed, with a total of five (six at the matinee) songs performed. A rendition of the emotive ‘Second Hand White Baby Grand’ was made even more beautiful thanks to Megan’s ability to bring a bit of herself to any number, preceding it with what it means to her and the story about what the song is truly about. A first-time outing for fan favourite ‘Big Finish’ ended Act One brilliantly, while a flawless ‘Don’t Forget Me’ transitioning into ‘Let Me Be Your Star’ ended the show on a high, sending the audience out into the scorching hot streets of London feeling a very different kind of warmth.

It is no secret just how incredibly talented Megan Hilty is as a singer, but it was her personality that shone through during these concerts, endearing her to every audience member instantly. Her determination that we would all be “best friends” by the end of the show was planned by showcasing her amazing sense of humour and ability to poke fun at herself. Stories about her time in Wicked and the 17 amazing Elphabas she worked with showed her love for all of her colleagues, and spoke volumes about her character. Running jokes about every show she has been in being about “a beautiful blonde girl”, talking about songs from Death Becomes Her working out of context by referring to it as “Gaze in the wild”, or her repeated utterances of “I’m adorable” (to complete agreement) had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. Even when she wasn’t trying to be funny, she managed to have the audience howling. As she prepared to end Act One at the matinee, she teased what audiences can expect in Act Two by saying, “There’s Smash. There’s good stuff too,” to howls of laughter before she realised how that sounded.

The funniest moment was saved for the end of the show, however. Announcing “the last song”, Hilty declared how she thinks encores are silly, so instead gave the audience a step-by-step guide of how it was going to go down, and how she wouldn’t bother leaving the stage and would act surprised. The hilarious fake curtain call (found on my social media) summed up Megan as a person and why the audience was so enraptured from the start. Technically, I guess we can all say we’ve acted alongside her now. Though she may have left Death Becomes Her in January, I guess you can take the girl out of Madeline Ashton, but you can’t take the Madeline Ashton out of the girl.

To quote another song Megan would have sung numerous times in Wicked, “happy is what happens when all your dreams come true,” and that was my exact thought seeing Megan Hilty live in London. Setting the bar impossibly high the moment she walked out on stage, the concert never faltered, resulting in two of the greatest hours I have ever experienced in the theatre. Well… technically four. The matinee was so good, I found myself back there that evening, where some of the numbers (such as ‘She Used To Be Mine’) were even better the second time around. I have never done a concert (or any show, for that matter) twice in one day before, but the rare opportunity to see Megan live made this an unmissable event.

I have been privileged enough to see some incredible musical theatre stars in concert over the years, and when I think I’ve seen the best it can get and what I could call “the perfect show”, they just keep moving the line. Megan Hilty did just that with this absolutely flawless and utterly special concert that I will remember for as long as I live (which may be forever if I can find the potion from Death Becomes Her). It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Megan Hilty really is one of the greatest talents in musical theatre. A rare talent, in fact. Through her vocal ability, personality and effortless charm, she may not visit the West End too often, but this rare appearance told London audiences just what we’d been missing out on. Let’s hope it’s not another eight years before we get a chance to gaze adoringly at her again.

Setlist:

They Just Keep Moving The Line

Popular

For Good

Backwards Barbie

9 To 5

Crazy

She Used To Be Mine

Big Finish

—

For The Gaze

Tell Me, Ernest

Suddenly Seymour (Duet with Brian Gallagher)

That’s Life (with Matt Cusson) (matinee only)

Second Hand White Baby Grand

Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend

Don’t Forget Me/Let Me Be Your Star

Megan Hilty played at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 24th May. Keep an eye on her socials @meganhilty to find out about where she will be performing next.

You can catch another Broadway legend take to the stage there when Sierra Boggess plays on 31st May. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/concert/sierra-boggess-tickets 

Photos by Danny Kaan