REVIEW: SHANAY HOLMES IN CONCERT @ CADOGAN HALL

🎭 Shanay Holmes in Concert

📍 Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London, SW1X 9DG

🗓 Saturday 11th July 2026

⭐️ 5 Stars

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP SHANAY!

Let's be completely honest: travelling on the London Underground in the middle of a blazing heatwave is a special kind of purgatory. By the time I finally escaped the tube and made my way to Sloane Square last night, I was practically a puddle. But walking into the glorious, cool bliss of Cadogan Hall - thank the theatre gods for functioning air conditioning! - the sweltering summer air outside suddenly felt incredibly apt. It was the perfect prelude to what would become a sizzling, scorching night of pure musical theatre magic.

It is genuinely hard to believe that despite her staggering resume, Shanay Holmes has never headlined her own solo concert before. Fresh off her award-winning run as Nancy in Oliver!, she took centre stage with an evening built entirely on a theme of positivity, hope, and optimism. The warmth coming from that stage was absolutely palpable from the first second. I particularly loved how she took the time to introduce each song, sharing her personal reasons for choosing them. It added an intimate, down-to-earth touch that made a massive venue feel like a private living room.

Accompanied by the absolutely majestic Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra under the sharp musical direction of Chris Poon, the scale of this production was breathtaking. The orchestra’s collective talent is out of this world, breathing rich, lush new life into every single arrangement. Cadogan Hall remains, without a doubt, my absolute favourite venue for a musical theatre concert simply because the acoustics are unmatched. The sound in that room is crystal clear, wrapping around you like a blanket and letting every single instrument soar.

From the moment she opened the evening with a breathtaking arrangement of "The Sound of Music", her vocal talent was an undeniable force of nature. Her vocals are so powerful and also really emotional. She pivoted effortlessly from a gloriously tight, big-band version of "I Could Have Danced All Night" to a devastatingly beautiful Whitney Houston tribute that had audible gasps echoing through the auditorium. In fact, her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" was so deeply moving and structurally perfect that it left me completely breathless. I swear you could have heard a pin drop in that auditorium as the entire audience became mesmerised by the sheer beauty of the performance.

Diving deeper into the content of the concert itself, I found the track selection inspired. She brought an exquisite, heartbreaking maturity to classic numbers like "Alfie", letting the orchestration swell behind her phrasing beautifully. A massive highlight for me was also her decision to tackle "Where Is Love?" from Oliver! and "Maybe" from Annie. These are two legendary songs traditionally sung on stage by child characters, but hearing them reimagined through her mature, soulful, and flawless vocals was a revelation. She completely re-contextualised them, finding a heartbreaking depth and a sense of enduring hope that left the room spellbound.

The evening shifted gears seamlessly, weaving career milestones from Rent and Get Up, Stand Up! with an exclusive preview of her upcoming debut studio album, BECOMING, which drops this October. If the live arrangements are anything to go by, we are in for an absolute masterpiece of a record. Hearing her perform her debut single, "No One Is Alone", live with a full orchestra was simply beautiful and can only be described as an absolute masterclass in storytelling that left me with goosebumps. The track is out now and demands an immediate spot on your playlists. And when she finally gave us "As Long As He Needs Me" as part of the encore, she proved that she really did have the audience completely in the palm of her hand.

Ending the evening with an explosive performance of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" was just so incredibly fitting. Right now, Shanay's career is smelling seriously sweet and is going from strength to strength.

Between her vocals, the orchestra, and the gorgeous venue, the night was a masterclass. Beyond her spectacular stage roles, we already know Shanay is an absolute force in the industry - whether she's spreading festive joy in West End Musical Christmas or completely redefining the UK theatre community as the co-founder of Musical Con - but last night proved she belongs squarely under her own solo spotlight.

The momentum isn't slowing down either; if you missed last night's magic, you can catch her starring in FAME this summer at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. But as for her solo debut? It was stunning, it was soulful, and it was a total triumph. This is the easiest five stars I've awarded for a while. I'm glad I was there, and can't wait for the next one!

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 Shanay Holmes in Concert 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.

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 10 minutes, including interval

>>> CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER SHANAY'S DEBUT ALBUM <<<

>>> CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS TO FAME <<<

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