REVIEW: REPRESENTASIAN @ LYRIC THEATRE

🎭 RepresentAsian

📍 Lyric Theatre, 29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES

🗓 Monday 9th November 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

A SOUL-WARMING SHOWCASE

There is nothing quite like hitting the West End on a crisp, cold autumnal evening, but arriving at the Lyric Theatre last night for the eighth edition of REPRESENTASIAN: AN EVENING OF ASIAN TALENT, the chill was immediately banished. We were greeted at the door with a complimentary cup of Dishoom’s house chai. And I have to say that it was the best chai I have ever drank in my life. Talk about a perfect, soul-warming start to the evening.

The Lyric is usually home to the underworld-dwelling musical Hadestown, so walking into the auditorium felt vastly different last night. Instead of huge set pieces and tragic Greek myths, the stage was stripped back for a stripped-up celebration. If you aren't familiar with what REPRESENTASIAN is, it’s a brilliant initiative founded by casting director Ben Armstrong that celebrates established Asian musical theatre royalty while throwing open the doors for the next generation. Best of all, it’s all for a fantastic cause, with the night raising vital funds for scholarships at The Boury Academy to help young Asian performers access professional arts training.

Steering the ship for the evening was the absolute force of nature that is Nina Wadia. She was a total joy as host, radiating natural comic flair, immense warmth, and fierce support for every single performer who stepped up. I thoroughly enjoyed both her direct, cheeky chat with the audience and her lovely, informal interviews with the acts. Her running jokes about absolutely hating the shows she’d auditioned for but didn't get were brilliantly funny and had the whole house roaring.

The entire evening kicked off with an absolute bang. Recent graduates Sameer Dhanjee, Charlie Moscrop, and Shivaane Subash took to the stage to deliver a thrilling rendition of "Louder Than Words" from tick, tick... BOOM!. All three were making their official West End debuts, and honestly, you would never have guessed it. Their vocals were incredibly tight, and the hunger and passion they brought to the stage set the bar sky-high.

In fact, these newbies provided some of my absolute favourite moments of the entire night. Subash’s performance of "What Baking Can Do" from Waitress was beautifully nuanced, and Moscrop absolutely smashed "What Do I Need with Love" from Thoroughly Modern Millie. The two also teamed up for a duet of "Fine" from Ordinary Days, displaying some seriously deft comic timing and fantastic chemistry. Keep your eyes on these two - they are definitely going places.

Another massive standout performer for me was Mia Kobayashi. She showed off her formidable contemporary musical theatre chops with a fantastic, powerhouse delivery of "I Say No" from Heathers. But it was her subsequent rendition of "Sing, But Don't Tell" from Island Song that stole the entire show for me. It was, without a doubt, the best performance of the evening. Kobayashi's acting through song was a masterclass, filling every single line with an abundance of heart, humour, and pinpoint character work. I was utterly captivated.

Another huge coup for the night was the appearance of special guest James Hameed. Fresh off his Olivier Award win earlier this year for Paddington - and on the very day he was announced to be reprising the role when the musical opens on Broadway - it was an absolute treat to see him step out from behind the puppetry and into the spotlight. He treated us to a brilliant double bill, mashing up a snippet of "Explorer and the Bear" from Paddington with a truly stunning, emotionally charged rendition of "Proud of Your Boy" from Aladdin. Hearing those gorgeous vocals filling the Lyric made it completely obvious why he is one of the most exciting leading men in the West End right now. The entire auditorium were rightly bursting with pride.

To wrap up what was already an unforgettable night, the whole company re-assembled on stage for a massive, full-cast closing performance of "Can't Help Falling in Love". Arranged with real flair, it started as a beautifully quiet, intimate moment before building into a rich, swelling wall of sound that completely washed over the auditorium. Seeing the legendary established stars standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the fresh graduates, completely filling the auditorium to the rafters, was an incredibly moving sight. As soon as the final chord rang out, there was an immediate, thunderous standing ovation that was richly deserved.

Overall, I had a really great time, and the atmosphere inside the Lyric was just incredibly electric, supportive, and deeply moving. It felt like an absolute honour to be a part of an evening as special as this. Shows like REPRESENTASIAN are so vital for visibility, reminding the industry of the sheer depth of global majority talent available, especially when commercial theatre can still hold so many frustrating barriers for certain performers.

If I'm being a bit nitpicky, I would have liked a bit more variety in the style of songs across the setlist, as it leaned quite heavily into a specific theatre sound. A few different basic lighting washes wouldn't have gone amiss either to help shift the moods between numbers. And, as is always the case with this sort of multi-artist gala production, there were a couple of performances which I felt perhaps weren’t quite as strong as others.

But minor quibbles aside, this was a beautiful, triumphant, and necessary night of theatre.

After last night, it's safe to say that the West End just got a whole lot brighter

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of RepresentAsian was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

HOST:

Nina Wadia

SPECIAL GUEST:

James Hameed

CAST:

Roshani Abbey; Sameer Dhanjee; Hiba Elchikhe; Soophia Forboughi; Mia Kobayashi; Charlie Moscrop; Nadim Naaman; Shivaane Subash; Zheng Xi Yong

BAND:

Taekkeun Sim - Keys; Dhiraj Kainth - Guitar; Daehyun Lee - Drums; Jihea Oh - Bass

CREATIVES:

Founder - Ben Armstrong; Producer - Aixa Amarante Naranjo; Sound Designer - Kelsh B-D; Musical Director - Taekkeun Sim

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hous 20 minutes, including interval

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