(seen at the performance on 31st August 2025)
“Mums Aloud” they dub themselves. Friends for years, all starred in “Wicked.” The ladies squabble (over the tannoy) among themselves - reminding us that Louise Dearman played both leads - before entering together.
As Louise’s opening Bette Midler movie sequel soundtrack song puts it, “The Witches Are Back.” Rachel quickly picks up the ball with “The Wizard and I,” Kerry moving it on with “Let Me Be Your Star.”
That’s just the opener. 30 years of friendship and a year in the planning, “Gravity” is (they hope) just the first in a long string of concerts and plans for the trio to work together.
Act one turns out to be a mini autobiography for each performer, and we get to learn a lot about their careers and how one thing led to another.
Just 12, Louise Dearman was part of the choir in the London Palladium’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Graduating acting school, her first professional job turned out to be Narrator in a UK tour of the show. No wonder she dreamed of the wonders she’d do... as her “Prologue” from the show shone.
For Kerry Ellis, her big break came on this very stage. Singing “I Could Have Danced All Night” from “My Fair Lady,” the slower arrangement suited perfectly her voice.
2008, we all watched Rachel Tucker come fourth in TV show “I’d Do Anything.” She didn’t play Nancy, but did get to sing “Cabaret” – title song from the show – as her last number before handing back her necklace. A proper cabaret version, rivalling Liza with a Z.
A move to the comfy looking row of bar stools for “Over The Rainbow” from the trio. The three part arrangement shared the number and ensured a belter of an ending.
Time for Kerry to remind us of her Royal Albert Hall appearance in a concert version of “Chess.” Another outstanding musical arrangement and sizzling guitar solo as she turned the drearily overdone “Anthem” into something fresh.
Louise Dearman jolted the monkey by saying she first encountered “Meadowlark” from “The Baker’s Wife” the same way the monkey did – on Linzi Hateley’s incredible first album. Dearman too listened to it on loop, and clearly it had a little influence on her performance today. If Linzi knew, there’s no doubt it’s a story she’d love.
More Rachel Tucker, and a reminder of her “only on a Monday, please” starring role in Jamie Lloyd’s Savoy Theatre “Sunset Blvd.” Pink and blue lights and her own accent remind stunningly that “Everything’s As If We Never Said Goodbye.”
Time for them to reunite as the show heads rapidly towards the interval. “Soft Place To Land” (from “Waitress”) indeed lands as soft as this rather vacuous number does.
Fortunately, revving up with a hint of the Wild West, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” begins acapella and builds to a thrilling climax with a fiddler practically taking off the roof and a well timed “yeah, but” on the line about “beauty beyond compare”. Dropping in a quick “I Will Always Love You” line, “Texas Hold’ Em” fills out the deck.
Truthfully, “The Greatest Showman” is a bit of a cliché in musical concerts, but for some reason “This Is Me” and “Come Alive” work with this talent, despite best efforts of both sound and lighting departments at times.
Brightly sparkling silvery outfits, and a sparkling first half.
Act two, and the ladies are in red for a slow and seductive “No Good Deed” entrance.
Louise and Rachel brought the house down at the London Palladium a while back with their “I Will Never Leave You” from “Side Show.” A chance to recreate it here, thankfully Rachel this time keeping herself together for the final verse. Amazing to hear it again.
Playing with the lyric to explain how each of them stay employed (the monkey’s guess was access to photographs of producers, but apparently not...), “Gotta Get a Gimmick” has to become a constant signature star turn whenever they are together.
Louise then gives a hint of a job she should do when “Death Becomes Her” reaches London. Her “For The Gaze” is camp yet deep.
Deeper still, and chilling beneath the angry heat, Rachel Tucker belts “Rose’s Turn” from the back of the stage before breaking down closer to the audience. Deranged, moving, frightening and easily the most emotional moment of the whole event.
Changing into black, “Always Starting Over” from “If / Then” takes Kerry's connection with her audience on another level.
With a chance to relax before the finale, Musical Director James Doughty and the band take us through “My Favourite Things,” demonstrating that Doughty has a rather good voice.
Back with all three ladies now in black, “The Show Must Go On” acknowledges how those who once watched Kerry in “We Will Rock You” followed her into the role and are now on stage with her as peers.
Properly “For Good” from the three, before “Defying Gravity” built as it inevitably must in this case to only one final theatre plasterwork-loosening moment.
An encore of “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” freestyles them to the close.
Possibly this would be a rather conservative show, if not for the fact every song held meaning to those performing them and each puts every ounce of personal memory into performing.
The monkey also derived much amusement from the endearingly goofy official photographer making himself ever more conspicuous while trying to be inconspicuous. From crawling up the aisles to drawing a comment from Rachel about filming her legs, to ending up on-stage caught behind the grand piano, a neat (unintentional) running gag.
Back to the real show and the conclusions has to be that when all the flying and belting is done, when Ellis, Dearman and Tucker get together, the result is indeed Wicked.
4 stars.