Review: To Maury, With Love (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Review by Daz Gale

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Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been the place to be on Sunday evenings over the last month, with the premiere of the new musical Jo - The Little Women Musical, an all-star concert production of Once On This Island, and the sensational charity concert Love Life. One announcement that may have passed you by is To Maury, With Love - a celebration of musical composer Maury Yeston in honour of his 80th birthday. Having struggled to receive the same response as the previous concerts, the show’s producer last week took to social media to question the reasons for this slower uptake, creating a healthy discussion about these increasingly frequent concerts, and raising awareness of the show itself. Though it didn’t sell out completely, many musical lovers gathered to experience the concert, all with varying expectations and experiences of Maury’s shows, but would the concert prove to be a Titanic success, or would it leave me with a sinking feeling?

I must admit not being overly familiar with the works of Maury Yeston myself, having only seen Titanic personally, much to the surprise of some (apparently, I need to rectify this by watching Nine immediately). It was interesting to see some of the responses to the producer’s social media post that shared their unfamiliarity with his work, not diminishing his proven talents, but suggesting this theatre was perhaps too large for the demand. From my perspective, however, it reframed the evening entirely. Unlike the Stephen Sondheim tribute concert, Old Friends, a greatest hits show of sorts where I knew many of the songs, other than the several songs I was vaguely aware of from seeing Titanic, every other number performed here was new to me - perhaps that speaks of my own ignorance, but it meant I came without bias, experiencing each song for the first time. If anything, it made the case all the clearer for a concert celebrating Yeston’s undeniable talents.

So who is Maury Yeston? He is an American composer and lyricist with a flair for sweeping melodies and grand storytelling, creating musicals including Death Takes a Holiday, Grand Hotel and Phantom - his own take on the classic story that has received more than 1000 productions worldwide, even if it remains overshadowed by a certain chandelier-dropping rival. His most celebrated works are Titanic and Nine, both of which won Tony Awards for Best Musical. In the UK, however, his presence feels relatively limited in recent years, with Titanic the most frequently revived, most recently touring in 2023. To Maury, With Love pulls together songs from across his catalogue, offering each score a rare West End outing, and quietly making the case for why several deserve full-scale revivals.

Though Maury was not present for this concert, his presence was certainly felt, not just through performances of his catalogue, but with the inclusion of a new video interview serving as the perfect introduction for each song, even cleverly being accompanied by the orchestra as he recited the lyrics at one point. Whether you already knew everything there was to know about the man, or had attended this concert as a complete novice, there was something immediately likeable about his honest, charismatic, and even emotional answers, endearing them to everyone in the audience, and making me wish he had been there to experience the feat of performing that unfolded over two hours. One video sequence saw a host of collaborators wishing Maury a happy birthday, culminating with Jane Krakowski as scene-stealing as ever. It should be noted that Maury’s 80th birthday was actually in October 2025, but what’s four months between friends?

Anyone who has attended any of these one-night-only concerts will know they can sometimes suffer from technical issues. Though the sound was pretty flawless throughout (one tiny blip aside) and the lighting never missed, it was the video element that proved problematic on the night, going drastically out of sync with the video, lessening the impact of the words and particularly Jane Krakowski’s opening. Not a massive deal in the grand scheme of things, and it certainly didn’t detract from the grandeur of the evening, but still a shame this element didn’t reach its full potential.

Of course, a concert like this is all about the performances, with six musical theatre stars gathering to put their spin on Maury’s music. Kicking off with several numbers from Titanic, the standard for the evening was immediately set with impeccable and soaring voices wowing at every turn. Ramin Karimloo once again wowed with his vocals and stage presence on numbers such as a humorous ‘Guido’s Song’ from Nine, and ‘I Thought That I Could Live’ from Death Takes A Holiday, with Rob Houchen delivering one of the standout vocals of the night with Act One closer ‘Love Can’t Happen’ from Grand Hotel.

Sydnie Christmas delivered breathtaking performances of ‘Girl In The Mirror’ from Grand Hotel, and ‘Unusual Way’ from Nine, showcasing her immeasurable talents (she did win Britain’s Got Talent, after all) and the faultless way she can tap into any character for a musical number and deliver a stunning performance. Another standout came from Kelly Mathieson, delivering several highlights, including ‘A Call From The Vatican’ from Nine, and ‘How Will I Know’ from Death Takes a Holiday. It was her Act One duet with Ramin Karimloo that proved a strong contender for the performance of the night; however, with a rousing ‘Home’ from Phantom, a performance that had multiple layers, given the fact that both have starred in The Phantom of the Opera in the past. This was, perhaps amazingly, the first time I had ever heard this song myself, and to say I was blown away would be an understatement. If anything, this made me long to see Maury’s Phantom on a West End stage. 

Another treat throughout the concert was a smattering of rarely heard Maury Yeston songs, with Graham Bickley getting a beautifully emotional moment in ‘New Words’ from In The Beginning. Madalena Alberto’s only solo performance throughout the concert came from ‘Tell Me About Your Wife’, one of two songs represented from the as-yet-unproduced Club Moscow, a musical that received a workshop in London in 2022 but has never been performed in public. With this song in particular being another highlight of the night, it makes a strong case for staging the full musical in the near future.

These six powerhouse performers weren’t alone on that stage, with the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and the graduating M.A. musical theatre students from the Royal Academy of Music filling every inch of the stage and making it burst with sensational talent. Having so many people on that stage at once created a grandness to Maury’s music, allowing it to come to life in the greatest way possible. In a nice surprise, the evening culminated with cast members from previous productions of Titanic filling the aisles of the stalls for a storming ‘Sail On’. However, it was not easily identifiable who these performers were, and it was only from reading the programme afterwards that I was able to realise who these people were.

That links to the one aspect that prevented To Maury, With Love from being its best, and that was the lack of connection. The evening consisted of a musical performance followed by a video of Maury, without anyone on stage addressing the audience directly. This meant it felt slightly colder than it ought to have been, never quite landing the necessary connection, and joining the dots from the music and stories with the audience. The fact that the former Titanic cast members were not introduced is the perfect example of this. While the order of the concert was curated fantastically, it perhaps needed to be compèred by somebody, or simply had the performers introduce each other or speak about their own connections with Maury. Having had two of the performers on my podcast last week to talkabout the concert, I found it fascinating to hear about their own connections, stories and love of Maury’s shows and music, and to have this conveyed to the audience, I believe, would have made all the difference.

I may have walked into Theatre Royal Drury Lane not knowing much about Maury Yeston, but I left To Maury, With Love a fan. Though it wasn’t perfect, this concert was a fitting representation of his legacy and talents, ensuring there was enough to entertain and thrill both devoted followers of his shows, and those who were less familiar, such as myself. I will be keeping an eye out for the next time any of his shows are staged in the UK, as if the quality of the songs presented at this concert is anything to go by, I’ll be the first in line to check in. This concert may have just stopped short of a Nine, but it proved Maury Yeston’s work remains first-class.

Setlist:

To Maury, With Love - Overture

Graham Bickley - In Every Age (from Titanic)

Full cast - How Did They Build Titanic/Ship Of Dreams (from Titanic)

Ramin Karimloo & Rob Houchen - The Proposal/The Night Was Alive (from Titanic)

Sydnie Christmas - Girl In The Mirror (I Want To Go To Hollywood) (from Grand Hotel)

RAM Choir - Nine Overture (from Nine)

Ramin Karimloo - Guido’s Song (from Nine)

RAM Choir - The Grand Parade (from Grand Hotel)

Graham Bickley - Table With A View (from Grand Hotel)

Kelly Mathieson & Ramin Karimloo - Home (from Phantom)

Rob Houchen - Love Can’t Happen (from Grand Hotel)

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Tom Sawyer Overture

RAM Choir - Ladies Maid (from Titanic)

Kelly Mathieson - How Will I Know (from Death Takes a Holiday)

Ramin Karimloo - I Thought That I Could Live (from Death Takes a Holiday)

Kelly Mathieson - A Call From The Vatican (from Nine)

Madalena Alberto - Tell Me About Your Wife (from Club Moscow)

Sydnie Christmas - Unusual Way (from Nine)

Ramin Karimloo - Barrett’s Song (from Titanic)

Graham Bickley - New Words (from In The Beginning)

Ramin Karimloo & Kelly Mathieson - More and More (from Death Takes a Holiday)

Rob Houchen & company - One Soul Can Make a Difference (from Club Moscow)

Full cast - Sail On (from Titanic)

To Maury, With Love played at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 22nd February 2026.

The concert raised money for Bowel Cancer UK. For further information and to donate, please visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk

You can listen to my podcast with Sydnie Christmas and Kelly Mathieson about To Maury, With Love on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Photos by Eliza Wilmot