Third Musical Con is an overwhelming success

Thousands of Musical Theatre fans poured through the doors of London ExCel this past weekend for the third instalment of Musical Con. The world’s biggest Musical Theatre fan convention, Musical Con launched in 2022 at exactly the same time as Musicals magazine. Two years later, we were back to support it, once again selling subscriptions to the magazine, soaking up the atmosphere, attending panel discussions and generally revelling in this very special community where each person counts and everyone’s voice is heard.

Inclusivity is at the heart of what Musical Con does. The event is accessible to all – its Access Registration Scheme means that anyone with access needs is taken care of, from the minute they arrive: there’s a separate queuing line to enter, and panel discussions and main stage performances are captioned and BSL-interpreted. But the event is also about being authentically oneself, without fear of judgement or alienation. To quote Cole Porter, ‘anything goes’ – literally. From fantastic cosplay outfits, to Q&As where fans – and performers – can speak candidly about their experiences of the industry, Musical Con is all about celebration and acceptance. Many visitors we met had booked for the whole weekend, travelling from as far afield as the Czech Republic, Austria and The Netherlands, while others told us they had attended every year so far – and were already looking forward to coming back again in 2025.

Our brilliant Musicals team manning the stand

Located at Stand MP28, Musicals magazine was delighted to see so many visitors popping along to say hello. Some subscribed on the spot, some entered our fabulous Operation Mincemeat competition, some did both! But most heartening of all was that many people who were already subscribers still wanted to drop by to say ‘Keep up the good work!’

One of the draws of Musical Con, this year supported by media partner WhatsOnStage, is the Main Stage programme, which in 2024 featured some outstanding West End and Broadway performers. Saturday highlights included a fantastic Hadestown showcase, starring Melanie La Barrie as Hermes and Rachel Tucker and Trevor Dion Nicholas as the incoming Persephone and Hades. Later on, the legend that is André De Shields (Hermes on the Original Broadway Cast Recording) was interviewed by Musical Con co-founder Shanay Holmes before singing the opening number from the show. Dressed in a gold lamé trouser suit, the 78-year-old is still in excellent voice and continues to be an inspiration to us all.

André De Shields brings down the house as Hermes (Image credit: Mark Senior)

Saturday also saw the return of Star of Musical Con, which this year boasted a nine-strong line-up of fabulously talented young people. Chaired by a panel including Holmes and fellow co-founder Chris Steward, as well as agent Rosalind Bach, Lauren Drew (SIX, Legally Blonde) and Kelly Agbowu (Sylvia, Mrs Doubtfire), and introduced by Ben Forster (Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom), the competition saw Edward Flynn-Haddon crowned the winner. It was the 17-year-old’s third time of entering, and he took the risk of performing the fiendishly difficult ‘Gethsemane’ from Jesus Christ Superstar (a particularly brave choice with Ben Forster standing right next to him!) – but it paid off. It was a highly emotional performance, and brought many of the audience to tears. His prize? A slot in ‘West End Musical Christmas’ at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, on 16 December.

Of the panel discussions the Musicals team attended, several stood out. On Saturday, the closing discussion, chaired by Holmes, was on the subject of ‘Super Women – Female Empowerment on the West End’. Holmes was joined by four articulate, passionate women: Tanisha Spring (Groundhog Day, Moulin Rouge), Kelly Agbouw, Courtney Bowman (SIX, Legally Blonde) and director and choreographer Stacey Haynes (see our Day in the Life feature, Dec 2023/Jan 2024 issue). Together, these women talked honestly about their experience working as women, and as women of colour, in the theatre industry. How to speak up when a corset is so tight and uncomfortable that it impedes vocal production? What to say when the time of the month impacts a performance? How to promote body image positivity? How to break down barriers in a male-dominated industry? It was an uplifting discussion and reminded us of how far women have come – but how much further there is to go. Bowman urged us to ‘keep looking forward’, regardless of what everyone around you is doing. Holmes impressed on us the importance of sisterhood – of surrounding yourself with a supportive network of women, particularly family members. And to one audience member, who became emotional as she related a story of a particularly tough knock-back as a female director, Haynes said: ‘Look at yourself in the mirror every day, and remind yourself that you’re good enough. Because you are.’

An all-star line-up brings the weekend to a fabulous close (Image credit: Mark Senior)

On Sunday, there was a fun presentation of Avenue Q puppetry from Jon Robyns and Simon Lipkin, who delved into the challenges of channelling a character and voice through a hand puppet. They enjoyed an excellent chemistry together and frequently (and delightfully) derailed the conversation to regale the audience with stories of their backstage antics during their time in the original London run.

On the Main Stage, meanwhile, we particularly enjoyed the Cosplay Competition – the sheer passion and attention to detail in some of the cosplay costumes were on full display. After whittling it down to a top 10, the judges awarded first place to a group of six each donning impressively detailed replicas of the iconic costumes of the queens from (you've guessed it) SIX. Honourable mentions must also go to a beautifully constructed Scar outfit (with fully sculpted headpiece) from The Lion King and a nicely niche entry in the form of Piangi from the Il Muto section of the first act of The Phantom of the Opera complete with 18th-century frilly coat and exaggerated white make-up.

Musical Con founder Shanay Holmes with the finalists of the cosplay competition (Image credit: Catherine Wolff)

As if all this wasn’t enough, both days saw multiple workshops and masterclasses take place, from a Cabaret-inspired workshop with Layton Williams to a masterclass with Nikki Bentley (Wicked), ‘Acting Through Song’. There was also a workshop on Managing Performance Anxiety by Chris Steward, who, in addition, chaired a panel discussion on Mental Health and Representation on Sunday afternoon.

A big part of what makes Musical Con such a friendly place to be is the exhibitors. While of course the focus is on selling our wares, we all take the time to introduce ourselves, to share our merchandise and to encourage each other in whatever path we’re pursuing. This year, Musicals enjoyed reaching out to NODA, the organisation supporting amateur theatre, particularly in light of our new Treading the Boards feature celebrating am-dram societies. We also said hello to the brilliant Concord Theatricals, responsible for so many superb Musical Theatre recordings, most of which we’ve reviewed in our pages. And then there are the grassroots/start-up companies, selling everything from embroidery kits to works of art – all Musical Theatre themed, of course. See our merchandise feature in the December issue, which celebrates the work of these talented individuals – if you’re looking for Christmas gifts ideas, look no further!

By the time we packed our stand away at 5pm on Sunday 20 October, we were a tired but happy team. We’d met some of our loyal subscribers, gained new ones, and shouted from the rooftops (alongside fellow exhibitors, fans and performers) the core messages of Musical Con – namely, that, to quote High School Musical, ‘We’re all in this together’, and that Musical Theatre is, apropos Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, ‘The place where we belong’.

For more information, visit musicalcon.co.uk