It has been over three years since I first had the pleasure of seeing MASTERS OF THE HOUSE; four distinguished West End actors whose credits include Les Misérables, The Phantom of The Opera, Evita and Mamma Mia. My first instalment of this fabulous foursome came about after seeing posters around Hertfordshire some years ago for an upcoming one night performance at the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage. The posters promised an evening of well-loved show tunes so, being a huge fan of musicals I was quick to book front row stall seats months in advance. I was slightly worried at the time that the theatre was rather sparse with audience members and suddenly felt vulnerable in the front row. But from the moment they came on the stage and started performing some spine tingling renditions of every bodies favourite show tunes, by the end of act one I was desperate to follow this wonderful foursome around and eagerly tried to keep a watchful eye for upcoming performances without any success and I even started to wonder if they were still performing. Fast forward to the present day and I was utterly ecstatic to see a poster in what is now one of my local theatres just before Christmas and was determined I was going to attend, come hell or high water!
I was pleased to see that this particular performance was pretty much a sell-out. The show had no printed information leaving the audience in suspense as to which songs were to be performed. This was also the case at the Stevenage performance. However, within the first fifteen minutes it was a moment of Deja vu, as the set list from start to finish was pretty much identical to the Stevenage gig some several years ago. This was great in some ways as it brought back the memories of the first time I saw MOTH, however I was slightly disappointed as I would have loved to seen some new material, especially with so many wonderful newer musicals around, I would have loved something from the likes of say, Kinky Boots or The Book of Mormon, however the songs performed in tonight's performance were those songs which make a particular musical so magical and well loved by theatre goers. The set up was exactly as I had remembered it from my first instalment; a live band on stage, smartly dressed in dinner suits, as were the two performing males whilst the two ladies looked as glamorous as always in elegant dresses. 
One thing that did strike me is how the foursome appear to have not aged looks wise since I first saw them several years ago. The show opened with an instrumental intro of ONE DAY MORE from Les Misérables, and the foursome entered the stage and went straight into a medley of songs from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, followed by MASTERS OF THE HOUSE. Throughout the two act performance, the foursome spoke about what makes a musical a success and about their own involvement in musicals. They engaged well with the audience and as previous shows of theirs, audience participation was included at parts. We were encouraged to do and sing THE TIMEWARP and ANY DREAM WILL DO.
At the previous show in Stevenage, the group had copies of their album release and were signing them but due to the entrance space at this particular venue, this was not possible for this performance.
The show is a magnificent evening of the best music from the world of Musicals performed by a fabulous four part cast (two male, two female).
The Masters of The House have been performing all over the UK, Europe, the Middle East and around the world on cruises for 16 years, entertaining audiences in theatres, concert halls and private venues to critical acclaim.
The foursome continue to tour the UK. I was unable to see tonight's venue listed on the group’s website, so am unsure as to how up-to-date their website is, however more information can be found on http://www.mastersofthehouse.biz They also have a Facebook page and Twitter account.
These four all have amazing voices and play a fantastic selection of favourites from top West End Shows. I particularly enjoyed Karen's rendition of DEFYING GRAVITY. I hope I do not have to wait too long for my next performance from The Masters Of The House; the withdrawal symptoms are already kicking in. Masters Of The House are simply stunning to watch perform, their voices often giving you goosebumps and transforming you back to seeing the original shows in the West End.
If you're a fan of musicals this is one performance you need to see at least once in your life.
Reviewer: Lottie Davis-Browne
Reviewed: 18th March 2016
