Whitney – Queen of the Night at The Hawth Crawley Review
Whitney
Queen of the Night
The Hawth, Crawley
3 March 2017
Reviewed by Louise Watts
I was 8 years old when Whitney Houston released her debut album titled “Whitney Houston” in 1985 and 35 years old when she tragically lost her life in 2012. During that time, she had endless hits and it is estimated that she has sold around 200 million records! In 2009 the Guinness Book of Records described Whitney as the “most highly awarded female artiste in the world!” Whitney – Queen of the Night is a wonderful celebration of the amazing musical talent and life of the late great Whitney Houston.
I visited The Hawth Theatre in Crawley last night with my husband (a secret Whitney fan!!) to see whether it really was possible to see a good quality tribute to a woman with the most incredible voice. The Hawth is a lovely theatre and it was jam packed with people who had come to experience the music of this incredible lady who is sadly no longer with us. To be able to perform a tribute is one thing but to manage to produce a fitting tribute to such a huge star and to keep her music alive following her death is a whole new challenge! It was lovely to see so many people there and The Hawth was as inviting as always. Parking is exceptionally easy with ample on site free parking and a variety of drinks and snacks available to purchase in the large foyer / bar area.
Whitney was played by the amazing and beautiful up and coming West End performer Rebecca Freckleton, and she was supported by the incredible vocals of Shanice Smith and 2 others. To complement the three lovely ladies was a small band of 5 musicians with Mike Pagett on the drums, Derek Baxter on the bass, James Hannah on the piano and keys, a guitarist and an absolutely out of this world saxophonist! The whole team worked brilliantly together and the quality of the performance was outstanding!
The stage set the scene beautifully and had a gorgeous picture of Whitney on the backdrop. When the show started, it became crystal clear why Rebecca had been chosen for the role of Whitney. Her voice was beyond all expectations. As we were treated to a cocktail of Whitney’s best hits including “Didn’t we almost have it all”, “I’m Every Woman”, “I wanna dance with somebody” and “I will always love you” to name a few it was almost like watching the real thing. This wasn’t a tribute to Whitney, this was as close to Whitney as you will ever achieve now. When Shanice and Rebecca performed “When you believe”, I had goose bumps. It was truly exceptional. The whole evening was amazing and the quality of the performance was incredible. I would thoroughly recommend this show to any Whitney fans. I promise you will not be disappointed. The evening came to a close with the most moving performance of “The Greatest Love of all” and a standing ovation which was thoroughly deserved.
I wouldn’t hesitate to give this a 5/5 rating. It was brilliant!
Rating: 5/5 
Whitney – Queen of the Night is currently on tour around the UK, for more information or to book tickets visit www.queenofthenight.co.
For other shows at The Hawth in Crawley visit www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk.
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636
