Remember Monday: From West End stars to Eurovision act

One listen to “What the Hell Just Happened?” and it’ll be in your head for weeks. That’s the power of a great Eurovision, and musical theatre, number.

The single is a whirling mix of rock, pop, and out-there theatricality, with the trio’s harmonies soaring right through the middle.

So it just makes sense that representing the UK this year in Basel is Remember Monday, a country-pop trio made up of three theatre devotees, whom we’ve been lucky enough to see on stage.

They are Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele. The trio met at college, using free periods at the start of each week to sing together. As a group, they made it to the quarter finals of The Voice UK under the mentorship of Jennifer Hudson, who continues to champion the group. The EGOT knows a good thing when she hears it.

As the trio has touched down in Switzerland in preparation for the competition to kick off next week, we’re looking back at some of the band members’ theatrical highlights.

At the age of ten, Steele made her West End debut as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins. Around the same time, Hull won a Disney competition, My Camp Rock, and released a music video and single of “This Is Me”.

Since, Steele has become a professional choreographer, vocal coach, and dance teacher, working at various drama and dance schools. Just some of her credits for musicals include Shrek, High School Musical, Madagascar, Seussical, and The Wizard of Oz. She’s likely responsible for the synchronised movements of the group, and given all of their experiences and style, we’re expecting some pretty epic choreography.

Meanwhile, Byrne has taken on iconic roles including Miss Honey in the West End’s Matilda, Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s recent revival, Jane Seymour on tour with Six, and Carole King across the country in Beautiful.

For a time, Byrne was performing “My House” at the Cambridge Theatre while Hull was just across town as Christine Daaé at His Majesty’s Theatre. Hull first took on the role in an ill-fated tour of Phantom of the Opera. However, she returned to the Paris Opera House for singing lessons in the West End, first as an alternate to Lucy St. Louis‘ Christine, and then full-time.

Phantom isn’t the only West End staple Hull has appeared in, she’s also got Les Misérables as a credit and was invited to honour the late, great Stephen Sondheim in the starry West End gala. Click here to see what she sang! In addition, she has taken theatre tunes global, performing all around the world, including in China and Italy, with fellow stage favourites Samantha Barks, Natalie Paris, and more.

Let’s not forget musical theatre’s history with Eurovision: previous UK representatives include 2009’s Jade Ewen, who placed fifth with the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Diane Warren-penned “It’s My Time”, WhatsOnStage Award winner Lucie Jones, who performed in 2017. The early 90s marked a run of West End stars taking the mic: Samantha Womack in 1991, followed by runner-up Michael Ball in 1992, and his Les Misérables co-star, Frances Ruffelle, competed and placed second just two years later. Even our hosts and commentators, Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham, and Mel Giedroyc, have all appeared in musicals. This year’s UK spokesperson, Ncuti Gatwa, was last seen on stage at the National Theatre over Christmas and is shaping up for another run later this year!

In a recent interview with Magic at the Musicals, Byrne revealed that one fan had guessed their staging correctly, somewhere in a comment on social media. Though reluctant to reveal much more than that, she confirmed: “We’re theatre girlies, so we’re not going to shy away from the theatrics.”

Will there be a falling chandelier? Backing dancers on swings? Either way, they’re flying the flag for the West End and the whole of the UK!