Review: RepresentAsian (Lyric Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s been just over five years since Ben Armstrong’s impulsive call out on social media for Asian performers in the industry led to the birth of RepresentAsian, and the quick turnaround of its inaugural concert. Six sold-out shows later, it was time for its West End debut, with a huge cast assembling for a one-night-only event at the Lyric Theatre. With some recognisable faces from the West End, emerging talent and recent graduates, and even a Broadway star crossing the pond for his West End debut, the representation on show, though diverse in their careers thus far all had one thing in common - a sheer amount of talent, in what was set to be a very special evening.

RepresentAsian was born out of a frustration for how underrepresented the Asian community were across cast and creative teams in many productions. Feeling like Asians were never depicted on stage as they should be, often resigned to the tried and tested tropes of the sidekick, medic, nerdy outcast or background character, Armstrong’s initial call out received a huge response with many eager to help build the platform he was created for appropriate representation.

Throughout the evening, the stars shared their stories on why they were so keen to get involved with RepresentAsian, with nuggets from their own career and their own frustrations in the past. Host Nina Wadia gave a fascinating insight into how she got started and finding there were no roles for her - she got around this by creating a role for herself, which set her on the path to the star she is today. Now a huge name in the West End, with leading roles in Bonnie & Clyde and The Great Gatsby, Frances Mayli McCann commented on how she’s been made to feel like she is “not Asian enough” or “not white enough”. These stories added a poignancy to the evening and highlighted why this event is so important, particularly in a world that seems set to be moving backwards in regard to certain attitudes.

Though there was a serious message behind the evening (and no shortage of hilarious moments, usually from Wadia’s expert skills as compere), the biggest strength of this remarkable concert was in the brilliantly curated setlist performed by a dream cast of exceptional talents.

No stranger to the Lyric stage, Hadestown star Desmonda Cathabel popped back overground to say how she includes an Indonesian phrase in her performance in the show every night, furthering the lore by singing an Indonesian song at this performance. The legendary Joanna Ampil gave a beautiful example in the art of subtlety with a gorgeously understated ‘Pure Imagination’ early in the show. However, it was when Cathabel and Ampil united that true theatre magic was made.

Ampil and Cathabel have previously performed together in Miss Saigon in 2023, with Ampil notable for being the first female to play The Engineer. They had longed to perform together again and had something special up their sleeves for the occasion. Beginning with ‘Children Will Listen’ from Into The Woods, the song unexpectedly and ingeniously turned into ‘You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught’ from South Pacific. The blend of these songs together was an inspired touch, carrying with it a powerful and poignant message that spoke to the importance of this event. Apparently, the idea between the performers themselves, the authenticity behind this choice, not to mention the pair’s out-of-this-world vocals, created the standout performance of the night - no easy task given the consistent standard seen elsewhere.

Frances Mayli McCann once again showcased what a remarkable talent she is with a song she was previously told wasn’t appropriate for her to sing, delivering a figurative two fingers up with a breathtaking ‘Raven’ from Brooklyn. A mere two days after the West End run of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button concluded, Parisa Shahmir delivered a stunning and emotive rendition of ‘Time’, before treating us to an original song from her own musical Medusa. Talia Palamathanan revisited her time in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie with a version of ‘It Means Beautiful’ that was exactly that, before delivering one of the standout performances of the night in an outstanding ‘The Life I Never Led’ from Sister Act.

While we have two more months to wait before Oh Mary! hits the West End, one of its original Broadway stars made his West End debut, with Conrad Ricamora linking to his career with both of his solo numbers - his time as the first Asian Seymour iin Little Shop Of Horrors was represented with a gander-switched ‘Somewhere That’s Green’, while his time on TV show How To Get Away With Murder was represented with how recreating the song he sung on that show with a spine-tinglingly stunning ‘All Of Me’. The recent Broadway casting controversy was also addressed, again signifying why events like this one are so crucial, and why these issues are sadly not consigned to the UK specifically.

Elsewhere, Joe Thompson-Oubari revisited a time when theatres couldn’t open and so we all relief on streaming theatre, with a fantastic performance of ‘One By One By One’ from Ordinary Days, a show he starred in virtually in what was one of the first reviews I ever did on this website. Another highlight among this phenomenal cast were both performances from El Haq Latief, who wowed with riveting versions of ‘Let Me Be Your Star’ from Smash (maybe the only time we’ll get to see it on a West End stage) and ‘Maybe This Time’ through powerhouse vocals and a presence that sets them up as one to watch in the industry.

The beauty in RepresentAsian is in how it represents those at different stages in the industry, giving a platform to some new graduates. Reuben Khan, Eunice De Castro and Ritesh Manugula were all given moments to shine throughout the evening, with Khan delivering a slice of Pippin with ‘Extraordinary’ - a fitting word for his vocals, and De Castro representing Allegiance in a blissful take on ‘Higher’. Though these three may be in the earlier stages of their career, there was no setting them apart from the others on the stage with a consistency in the quality and awe-inspiring nature of their talents. This concert may well be a record for the most talent gathered on a singular stage - when they all gathered for a storming finale, the roof risked well and truly being blown off of the place.

RepresentAsian could exist purely to put a spotlight on an underrepresented group of individuals across the industry, and that would be more than enough. However, this event also exists to raise money for a great cause, with proceeds raising money for The Boury Academy, designed to create scholarships for prospective Asian kids to attend the school and build a career in the arts. A speech from Rakesh Boury hammered home why this fundraiser is so important, and while we were all enjoying the very best the West End has to offer, it was all for an incredibly worthy cause.

There were multiple reasons I wanted to attend RepresentAsian, having missed their previous concerts. Obviously, the talent speaks for itself, with some of my favourite performers united to bless us with their God-given talents in some spectacularly good performances, as well as the chance to witness the next generation and discover some new talent I’m sure we’ll all be seeing a lot more in the future. More than that, not only is this a worthy cause, it is a crucial one. The arts can have a tendency to fall back into old habits, with too many productions failing to be as diverse and inclusive as they really ought to be. RepresentAsian is here to remind everybody of the talent that exists in the Asian community and how much these shows might be missing out by not including them. Benjamin Armstrong has created a vital necessity in the industry, which is only going from strength to strength. This concert was the result of five years of hard work, resulting in one of the most fantastic musical theatre concerts I’ve had the pleasure of attending. This may have been the West End debut for RepresentAsian, but don’t be surprised if you see a lot more of these concerts in the future. 

Setlist:

Talia, Reuben, Eunice and Ritesh - Ready (Joey Contreras cover)

El Haq Latief - Let Me Be Your Star (from Smash)

Talia Palamathanan - It Means Beautiful (from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie)

Ritesh Manugula - My Day (from Fiver)

Joanna Ampil - Pure Imagination (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

Conrad Ricamora - Somewhere That’s Green (from Little Shop Of Horrors)

Joe Thompson-Oubari - Cheering For Me Now (from New York, New York!)

Frances Mayli McCann - Raven (from Brooklyn)

Parisa Shahmir - Time (from The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button)

Reuben Khan & Eunice De Castro - Sadness & Joy (from The Notebook)

Desmonda Cathabel - Astonishing (from Little Women)

—

Frances Mayli McCann - Highs and Lows (Emeli Sandé cover)

Parisa Shahmir - Watching From The Waves (from Medusa)

Reuben Khan - Extraordinary (from Pippin)

Conrad Ricamora - All Of Me (John Legend cover)

Desmonda Cathabel - Cinta Indonesia (from Kahitna)

Ritesh Manugula - Flag Song (from Assassins)

Talia Palamathanan - The Life I Never Led (from Sister Act)

Joe Thompson-Oubari- One By One By One (from Ordinary Days)

Eunice De Castro - Higher (from Allegiance)

Joanna Ampil & Desmonda Cathabel - Children Will Listen/You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught (from Into The Woods/South Pacific)

El Haq Latief - Maybe This Time (from Cabaret)

Full Company - Do The Work (from Prince Of Broadway)

RepresentAsian played at the Lyric Theatre on 13th October. Follow https://www.instagram.com/representasianldn/ to find out about future events

You can make a donation at crowdfunder.co.uk/p/representasian

Photos by Ely King