From the exuberant, colourful rhythms of The Lion King to the crashing electric sounds of We Will Rock You, musical showstoppers in particular have decisively lit out lives and provided commentary to it for so long they are impeccably embedded in our musical consciousness:  The Sound of Music taught us Do Re Mi all over again, Mary Poppins seduced us with the tongue twister of a lifetime (Supercalifragili…..mmmmm….docious!), while Grease ‘s Summer Nights and Grease Lightning proved that a love story bursting with denim, cheerleaders, rock ‘n roll and slick hairstyles can be timeless and universal.

The showstopper is much more than a performance (or part thereof) that induces a mere positive reaction.  It is the performance you never really walk away from – the show, the scene, the song that remains for life – a stain on the canvas of our memory.

In Billy Elliot – The Musical, the feel-good-tale-like none-other of a young boy’s dreams, it is that gripping moment where a frustrated Billy manifests his anger in a liberating dance off the barrage of police shields on the picket lines.  Set in North East England and based on the film of the same name, this musical has captured the hearts of people around the world.  With the original multi-award winning creative team from the film: director Stephen Daldry, writer Lee Hall, choreographer Peter Darling and music  legend Elton John, the Victoria Palace Theatre show has been hailed as the “Brit musical of the decade!”. 

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But who can forget Mamma Mia! – the sunny, funny, Greek island paradise tale of a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father from three men from her mother’s past?  The witty and ingenious script weaves ABBA’s most infectious songs in a celebration of love, laughter and friendship, leaving us bedazzled, on our feet and swaying blissfully along to hits such as Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You, Super Trouper and Mamma Mia! 

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And what of Chicago - one of the most phenomenal musicals of our times?  Set in late 20’s Chicago USA, the story of two women murderers who, with the help of a slick and manipulative lawyer, turn their crimes into the stuff of celebrity to avoid death row provides some of the most sensational roles in all musical theatre.  Indeed this story of “murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, treachery…all those things we hold dear to our hearts” still razzle-dazzles us as the smartest and most sizzling show in town! 

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Indisputably the most celebrated musical of all time (having been seen by over 55 million people worldwide, in over 40 countries and in 21 languages – and approaching its 25^th year) is the stunning adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece Les Miserable :  the epic tale of a man’s life journey through 18^th century France and his intense struggle to live through the injustice and revolution of his time.  The themes of courage, glory, honour, passion and romance remarkably collide to the death in this superb timeless classic.  Simply breathtaking! 

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The The Phantom of the Opera is another immensely moving classic.  Set below the stage of the Paris Opera, the haunting love story of a mysterious masked man who falls in love with a beautiful young chorus singer is a powerfully emotional account of the saving grace of love.  A crashing chandelier (and organ chords), seductive melodies and a cleverly expanding plot – this masterpiece is truly Lloyd Webber’s finest! 

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One of the most exciting and thrilling encounters is by far The Woman in Black, a gripping adaptation of Susan Hill’s chilling story.  Lonely funerals, creaking attic doors and spine-tingling tension combine to provide one of the most terrifying and unremitting dramatic experiences.

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Be it a song sung with bitter-sweet earnestness, the moving portrait of a loving father, the alternatively pounding score in a succession of events that accompanies the heartbeat or the startling cry of fear that penetrates the bone marrow, the showstopper has, the ability to revive, awaken, confront and expose the most poetic, creative and beautiful parts of humanity by piercing the surface of façade with unsurpassed ease, allowing us to either escape political or personal chaos or bring about social transformation.  We are often left bereft, bare, stripped…exclaiming Encore! Encore!