Musically Speaking

The finest songs and the funniest stories from the heartlands of musical theatre. Expect your heart to be warmed, your spine tingled and your ribs tickled in an intimate but epic evening’s entertainment.

Raconteur and pianist to the stars, Andrew D. Brewis shares a lifetime of experience from the wings and orchestra pits of theatreland. He is joined by West End star Maria Kesselman (Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music and many more) to perform the finest songs from the legends of Shaftesbury Avenue and Broadway. 

Maria played Christine opposite Michael Crawford in Phantom, Maria Von Trapp at The Everyman, and Jenny Lind in Barnum, to name just three leading roles in an impressive career that has taken her all over the world. 

Andrew, meanwhile, has played for some of the biggest names in the business at venues large and small on four continents as a singer-songwriter, jazz pianist and accompanist. 

Between them, they’ve seen and heard it all and tonight they’re ready to sing some songs, drop some names and spill some beans. They’ll romp through eighty years of musicals, from the golden age of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Cole Porter, via Irving Berlin, Bernstein and Sondheim, to Lloyd-Webber, Skellern,  Boublil and Schönberg and many more.  

Future dates (click on the link below each date to book tickets)

17 Sept 2020  Cryer Arts Centre, Carshalton, Surrey   ***cancelled***

24 Sept 2020  Brighton Open Air Theatre, Brighton, East Sussex   ***cancelled***

more dates coming soon!

Andrew has been a professional pianist, singer, songwriter and cabaret artist for more than three decades. Equally at home entertaining lounge lizard style in the intimate surroundings of the piano bar as on stage, radio and TV. Andrew has toured with many shows including “Red Hot Coles”, “Noel and I”, “Simply Sondheim”, “By George it’s Irving”, “Blah, Blah, Blah”at Pizza on The Park and most recently playing William Blezard in the national touring production of "Choice Grenfell".

He appears regularly in some of London’s top venues, and has performed his one-man cabarets at Pizza on the Park, Jermyn Street Theatre and The Bridewell. He is much in demand both as a solo performer and also with his band, Red Hot and Blue, appearing regularly at events and concerts throughout the UK.  

He currently has a residency at the prestigious Wentworth Club, where he is chief music consultant. Andrew has recorded two shows for BBC TV, one with David Jacobs and both on BBC 1 prime time spots. He performed on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and made two albums; “Living in the Movies” & “Shades”. He is a member of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters and Composers. 

 Maria trained at the Arts Educational School, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and The Royal College of Music, studying singing with Marion Studholme, repertoire with Robert Sutherland and piano with Peter Element, gaining her ARCM and dip. RCM diplomas. Maria maintains a varied performing career spanning musical theatre, theatre, opera, concert, recording, cabaret, and dance.

In musical theatre and theatre Maria’s credits include numerous lead roles including Christine opposite Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Jenny Lind in Barnum; Maria Vittoria in Which Witch at the Piccadilly Theatre; Ruthie in The Royal National Theatre production of Lady in the Dark; Laundress in Yerma at The National Theatre Studio; Dvora in Golem at The New End Theatre Hampstead; Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (New Zealand tour); Deanna Durbin in Two Smart Girls at The Queen Elizabeth Hall; Maria in The Sound of Music at The Everyman. Maria also received critical acclaim and a Time Out award for her performance of Melinda Coverdale in A Judgement in Stone with Sheila Hancock (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith).

In opera Maria has also performed widely, including: Musetta in La Boheme and Despina in Cosi Fan Tutti for Music Theatre London, in London and Amsterdam; Musetta in the film version of La Boheme, for Channel 5; Street Scene and Katya Kabanova with The English National Opera; and Bess in Porgy and Bess with the Bath Philharmonia Orchestra.

Maria also featured in The Royal Opera House documentary Trouble at the House for BBC 2 singing Vissi d’Arte.

As an established concert performer Maria has given solo performances at venues across the UK and Europe: including The Royal Festival Hall, The Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Royal Albert Hall. She has sung and recorded with leading orchestras including The Royal Philharmonic, The English National Orchestra and The BBC Concert Orchestra, and has given recitals for The English National Opera at The London Coliseum.

Maria has made numerous TV and radio appearances, and is a regular star singer on Friday Night is Music Night and The Steve Race Show for BBC Radio 2. She also performs as soloist for The Last Night of the Proms open air concerts with The Royal Philharmonic at High Clear Castle, Battle Abbey, Castle Howard, Calke Abbey, Lydiard House and Longleat.

Maria has also starred in national concert tours of A Viennese Strauss Gala and Beyond Phantom. She is the Principal Soloist in David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus at major concert venues around the country and is a regular soloist for Raymond Gubbay at the Barbican, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Manchester, Bridgewater Hall in The Sound of the Musicals. She performed in The Phantom Of The Opera 25th Anniversary concert at The Royal Albert Hall and gives classical recitals around the country, most recently in Lincoln Cathedral.

As a recording artist Maria has released two solo albums, Flight and most recently Dance Me to the End of Love, and has recorded many albums for Carlton Records including: Maria in West Side Story; Leading Ladies; The Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber; Showstoppers - Andrew Lloyd Webber; The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber; More Andrew Lloyd Webber Favourites and Mary’s Boy Child Christmas Single with Peter Straker (Masquerade Music); The Word - narration of The New Testament; Phantom of the Opera (original cast recording); Which Witch (original cast recording); and a duet album, Opera Angels with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (New Sound 2000).

As an experienced cabaret artist Maria has performed her one woman show at many of London’s top cabaret venues including: The Pheasantry; The Crazy Coqs; The Café Royal; The Savoy; Grosvenor House; The Dorchester; The Ritz; The Hilton; The Connaught Rooms; Norden Farm Arts Centre and Pizza on the Park.

Maria formed her own production company in 2002, and devised, produced and starred in a new show In a Sentimental Mood - the songs of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter for the Gordon Craig Theatre.

As a dancer Maria has played the role of The Russian Girl in Death in Venice at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and The Aldeburgh Festival; and in The Nutcracker at The Royal Festival Hall with The Festival Ballet. Maria is also a leading Argentinean Tango dancer.