Preview: Opera House Manchester presents "Beyond The Barricade" 20th March 2015

On Friday 20th March, Opera House Manchester opens its doors to welcome four talented performers who will pay tribute to some of the leading musicals performed on the West End and Broadway. The protagonists are principal performers from the West End production of Les Miserables. The show is now in its 15th year and has been critically acclaimed as being authentic and first class in its production.

Back by popular demand, the show returns with a brand new production and features songs from Miss Saigon, The Lion King, Phantom of the opera, Blood brothers, Jersey boys and of course Les Miserables. The cast of the musical theatre show include: Rebecca Vere, David Fawcett, Andy Reiss and Katie Leeming.

History of the show

Back in 1996, Andy Reiss and David Fawcett were approached by the charity MENCAP and asked to perform and arrange musical theatre concerts. From it's humble beginings, a marquee in the grounds of a Sussex country house, the concert evolved into a full UK tour and Andy and David enlisted the help of two additional vocalists. 

The team have performed in multiple countries and venues which include Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Malta and even the three Cunard liners, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

Rebecca Vere

was recognised for her talent and nominated as best actress in a musical theatregoers choice award back in 2004. Rebecca has performed in countless musicals, been involved with television shows such as Eastenders and My parents are aliens as well as recorded vocals for the Les Miserables movie.

David Fawcett

As well as being principal performer for a number of musicals including Les Miserables, David has turned his hand to directing and has the likes of Godspell, Chicago, Annie and The passion under his belt. He also writes, performs and directs pantomimes. All of these skills adding to his credibility as a performer.

Andy Reiss

From a very early age, music has been in his blood and from the tender age of 5 he realised that music was his passion. Andy was cast with the first UK production of Les Miserables outside of the West End. He soon became the assistant to the resident director at the Palace theatre in Manchester.  After performing in Les Miserables in Dublin and Edinburgh for two years and after a short break, he returned as the resident director of the 1st  national tour. Andy has subsequently worked as MD on the Rocky horror show and starred as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in Malta.

Katie Leeming

Having spent 3 years in the West End playing a variety of roles from productions such as Les Miserables, Tess of the D'urbervilles and La cava, Katie has a wealth of musical experience. Appearing on television and in theatre productions of The Wizard of Oz, Katie has mastered her craft. She appeared in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables which took place at the O2. Additionally, she took part in the televised performance of the musical at The classical Brit awards at The Royal Albert Hall in 2011.

On the night, you can expect live, authentic music of the highest quality by these seasoned professionals. The team have worked tirelessly to deliver the songs  with integrity and they keep in mind the premise of the composers of the original shows.

You can follow the show on Twitter

Tickets can be purchased here
The show tours various venues across the UK. Click the link for full info on Tour dates