The Beck Community Choir held their second performance titled HITS THROUGH THE DECADES on 25 January.

Lead by Francis St John, the show featured songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Uptown Girl (Billy Joel), Someone Like You (Adele) and All Night Long (Lionel Richie).

Compering the evening was West End star Bree Smith (The Color Purple, The Wiz, Evita, Book of Mormon), who treated us to River Deep, Mountain High (Whitney Houston) and Stand By Me (Ben E. King). 

Each week, the group suggested songs they wanted to sing, and these suggestions were then used to build the show. Their first performance was titled A NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS (June 2022) and featured their favourite songs from musical theatre shows such as Hamilton, Sound of Music and Hairspray. In a change of direction, the choir members then wanted to perform their favourite songs from throughout the decades, which then became the premise of this show.

The show was also signed in Makaton – a unique language which uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It is the UK’s leading language programme for people with learning or communication difficulties.

The performance was described by both choir and audience members alike as ‘uplifting’.

The Beck Community Choir was formed in October 2021 following the closure of the Beck Theatre for 18 months. After this long period of time with limited social interaction, The Beck was keen to offer a space where members of the local community could meet and share an experience together. It began with four members at the first session, and now welcomes over 50 people each week to the pay-what-you-can rehearsals.