About Us
The story of Beyond The Barricade
Beyond the Barricade began life in 1996, following a request to perform a musical theatre charity concert.
The original show was organised and developed by Andy Reiss and David Fawcett, who met when performing in the Manchester production of Les Miserables, and the first series of concerts were staged as part of a MENCAP fundraising drive.
In fact, the very first performance of the show that was to become Beyond the Barricade took place in a small marquee in the grounds of a country house in Piltdown, Sussex – home of the Piltdown Man – the legendary missing link!
Gemma Sandy and Alison Williams, joined Andy and David for the first few concerts, and very soon the show began to take on a life of its own. With requests for more and more appearances, the show was expanded and began booking into venues throughout the UK. However the show needed to separate itself from the plethora of other musical theatre shows on the circuit and the decision was made to cast only from ex-Les Miserables cast members so that the public were under no illusion as to the quality of the performers.
Les Miserables star Rebecca Thornhill came onboard and the audience response to the production soon made it clear that Beyond The Barricade would be around for some time.
Beyond the Barricade launched into a major UK Tour and swiftly built up a reputation for its slick no nonsense style - giving musical theatre songs a bold concert format treatment - but with the conviction and intention to deliver the material as if the audience were watching the original performance.
The refusal to use 'click' tracks also enhanced the dynamic feel of the show. Andy, together with John Cornford – the shows original keyboard player – worked hard to capture the feel of the original orchestrations of the chosen musicals, and to this day every musical note is still played and sung live – very rare indeed.
In 1999, Beyond the Barricade embarked on its first major tour of the UK and celebrated its first major year on the circuit with a gala performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, using a fantastic 100 voice choir made up from people who had worked with Andy on the numerous Les Miserables Masterclasses he had directed. Such a bold move may have been perceived as being a step too far, but the support from fans of Beyond the Barricade made it more than worthwhile. It was a night to remember, and one we may have to repeat ...!
Over the years we have had the great fortune to work with some great female voices of the West End - many who have gone on to great things following their stint with BTB, and we wish them all the very best. However, the show carries on, and claimed its own space in the history of musical theatre shows, as the production reached its 10th Anniversary in 2009
Our concert venues now include theatres in Ireland, Spain, Malta and Denmark, and most recently on the Cunard liners, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2, but our continued presence on the theatre scene in the UK is down to the fantastic support of our audience. We are more than aware that thousands of fans return year after year to support us, and for that we will be eternally grateful.
'Beyond the Barricade' is produced by Beyond the Barricade Ltd. Please contact 'office@beyondthebarricade.com', 07825 184932 for enquiries about booking the show.
More videos of Beyond the Barricade can be seen on their YouTube Channel
The original show was organised and developed by Andy Reiss and David Fawcett, who met when performing in the Manchester production of Les Miserables, and the first series of concerts were staged as part of a MENCAP fundraising drive.
In fact, the very first performance of the show that was to become Beyond the Barricade took place in a small marquee in the grounds of a country house in Piltdown, Sussex – home of the Piltdown Man – the legendary missing link!
Gemma Sandy and Alison Williams, joined Andy and David for the first few concerts, and very soon the show began to take on a life of its own. With requests for more and more appearances, the show was expanded and began booking into venues throughout the UK. However the show needed to separate itself from the plethora of other musical theatre shows on the circuit and the decision was made to cast only from ex-Les Miserables cast members so that the public were under no illusion as to the quality of the performers.
Les Miserables star Rebecca Thornhill came onboard and the audience response to the production soon made it clear that Beyond The Barricade would be around for some time.
Beyond the Barricade launched into a major UK Tour and swiftly built up a reputation for its slick no nonsense style - giving musical theatre songs a bold concert format treatment - but with the conviction and intention to deliver the material as if the audience were watching the original performance.
The refusal to use 'click' tracks also enhanced the dynamic feel of the show. Andy, together with John Cornford – the shows original keyboard player – worked hard to capture the feel of the original orchestrations of the chosen musicals, and to this day every musical note is still played and sung live – very rare indeed.
In 1999, Beyond the Barricade embarked on its first major tour of the UK and celebrated its first major year on the circuit with a gala performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000, using a fantastic 100 voice choir made up from people who had worked with Andy on the numerous Les Miserables Masterclasses he had directed. Such a bold move may have been perceived as being a step too far, but the support from fans of Beyond the Barricade made it more than worthwhile. It was a night to remember, and one we may have to repeat ...!
Over the years we have had the great fortune to work with some great female voices of the West End - many who have gone on to great things following their stint with BTB, and we wish them all the very best. However, the show carries on, and claimed its own space in the history of musical theatre shows, as the production reached its 10th Anniversary in 2009
Our concert venues now include theatres in Ireland, Spain, Malta and Denmark, and most recently on the Cunard liners, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2, but our continued presence on the theatre scene in the UK is down to the fantastic support of our audience. We are more than aware that thousands of fans return year after year to support us, and for that we will be eternally grateful.
'Beyond the Barricade' is produced by Beyond the Barricade Ltd. Please contact 'office@beyondthebarricade.com', 07825 184932 for enquiries about booking the show.
More videos of Beyond the Barricade can be seen on their YouTube Channel
