WHITNEY – QUEEN OF THE NIGHT | LIVE REVIEW

St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Sun 17 Sept

Whitney Houston was undoubtedly one of the greatest female singers of all time and although impossible to replace, the cast of Whitney – Queen Of The Night did a super job at reminding us of the legacy that the real Whitney left behind. Whitney sang for us for over three decades and in that time touched us with her ballads, pop and r’n’b. I suspect many a school disco started with I Wanna Dance With Somebody and ended with I Will Always Love You.

Sunday evening was a journey back from the gospel singing at church to the songs that first launched Whitney into the public eye. The songs that remind us of a youthful 1980s – Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know, then songs from The Bodyguard soundtrack in the 1990s and at the start of the 00s, Million Dollar Bill and her duet with Mariah, When You Believe. The show ended with The Greatest Love Of All, the best performance of the night.

The lead singer Shanice had a difficult job to do here – not only having to sing an array of powerhouse songs, she was also required to fit in around 10 costume changes, tlk to the audience about Whitney and even get the audience involved in singing My Love Is Your Love. Special mention must go out to Matt, a member of the audience who stood up and encouraged all the men present to stand and sing the chorus back to Shanice – which motivated the whole room to get involved. Granted, Shanice didn’t really sound like Whitney, but then no one does; she possessed an enchanting voice of her own, in fact reminding me of Beverley Knight. The supporting singers also deserved to take the lead, which they did at times, as their voices were just as good.

Whitney – Queen Of The Night is thoroughly worth seeing for a trip down memory lane and a singalong.

words REBECCA FELLOWES photos GARETH GRIFFITHS