Beyond the Barricade

Beyond the Barricade comes to the Swansea Grand Theatre on Saturday 13 February 2027, with doors opening at 18:30. It's a musical theatre concert rather than a full production, so there's no set or costumes to worry about — just the singing and the band. The show runs for about two hours and works its way through the best of Broadway and the West End, drawing on The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, The Lion King, Blood Brothers, Miss Saigon, Hamilton and Les Misérables.

That last one is where the cast has its roots. Andy Reiss, David Fawcett, Katie Leeming and Sarah Ryan have all played principal roles in the West End and UK tours of Les Misérables, and they're joined by a live band that recreates the feel of the original orchestrations. To this day, every musical note is still played and sung live, so you're hearing the voices and the instruments in the room rather than a backing track.

Beyond the Barricade is the UK's longest-running musical theatre concert tour, and it celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. The format is straightforward: the four singers take turns on the best songs from across the musical theatre canon, with the band filling out the sound. Because the cast all come from the same show, there's a shared history there that carries through the night, even when they're singing from other productions.

Seats are £28, with a £5.80 booking fee bringing the total to £33.80. Doors open at 18:30 at the Grand Theatre on Singleton Street, Swansea, SA1 3QJ.