Review: Michael takes Abu Dhabi to the Ball

Fans of Broadway and the West End were treated to two memorable nights full of hit songs from the world’s biggest musicals as British star Michael Ball took the stage for Michael Ball Sings the Musicals at Yas Island’s du Forum in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday.

Ball gave fans a taste of the West End — London’s theatre district — as he performed songs from musicals such as Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Hairspray, Sweeney Todd, Chess, Lion King and Kismet among others.

Kicking off with This is the Moment from Jekyll and Hyde and Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl, the concert was packed with everything from classics to contemporary favourites.

Showing off his wide vocal range, Ball left the audience in awe (and some in tears) as he performed the Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli duet The Prayer with a band member. With great chemistry between the two singers, the performance was nothing short of immaculate.

After an interval, the two-time Olivier Award winner came back, joking, “I always like to take a break to go outside and stand in the cool… but I love it [the weather].”

Ball’s jokes kept coming as he spoke about each song before performing it. Discussing Sweeney Todd for which he won an Olivier Award, he recalled practicing a gracious loser face before the awards ceremony as he did not expect to win. He also warned before performing a song from the musical, “I’d be singing it and blood would be gushing so, front row, just watch yourselves.”

Apart from his ever-so-mesmerising voice, which made for beautifully-performed songs, Ball was a great dancer, eliciting cheers from the crowd as he swayed across the stage.

Ball was accompanied on stage by the British Philharmonic Orchestra and three singers from the West End.

His performance was also complemented by exceptional lighting, which changed to suit the mood of every song — blood-red for songs from Sweeny Todd, orange for songs from the Lion King.

One of the audience members, Tim Senior, an Irishman based in Abu Dhabi, described the concert as, “wonderful”.

“[Ball] has that wow-factor. He’s very warm and great with the crowd and he brings the place to life,” Senior said, adding that he had never seen the singer before.

“The venue is very intimate, the lighting is excellent, and the orchestra really complements his voice,” he noted.

With a voice like Ball’s, it is no surprise there was consensus among the crowd.

“[Ball’s] voice is amazing. The Prayer actually brought a bit of tears, I must admit,” Vera Sibarani, an Indonesian audience member based in Abu Dhabi, said. “I just really enjoyed it.”

Jery Sokol, a Canadian living in Dubai came to the capital especially to attend the concert, which he described as, “very entertaining,” adding that it gave him a push to visit London’s West End.

By the end of the concert, the crowd was avidly hoping for more and as Ball came back for an encore, he strangely seemed to have more energy than before, singing You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray, Tom Jones’ Help Yourself and Elvis Presley’s The Wonder of You.

— Sarah Diaa is trainee at Gulf News.