Shanay Holmes-Cadogan Hall.

Shanay Holmes is a star in the firmament of west end musicals. She’s had a stellar career and has just finished a run as Nancy in Oliver! – which transferred from Chichester to Gielgud; she has also racked up impressive credits in the likes of Miss Saigon, Get Up, Stand Up! and Rent. Now, with a new album to promote, she made her major solo concert debut at Cadogan Hall, backed by the 35-piece Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra under the baton of Chris Poon

Sweeping onto the stage in a billowing orange ballgown, Holmes opened with The Sound of Music, before moving through Maybe This Time, Smile (rather bizarrely introduced as a Michael Jackson song despite being written by Charlie Chaplin), Maybe from Annie, Nothing’s Gonna Harm You from Sweeney Todd, Waiting in Vain from Get Up, Stand Up!, Alfie, I Will Always Love You and Somewhere from West Side Story. Between songs, she shared her journey from humble beginnings, including missing out on drama school after her grant was cut. As the setlist suggests, it all felt rather safe and predictable, but with most of the numbers featured on her forthcoming album, there was an understandable amount of album plugging.

After the interval, Holmes returned in a shimmering white beaded gown and immediately raised the temperature with a thrilling Don’t Say I Didn’t (Warn You) from Death Becomes Her. For a moment it looked as though the second half would take a more adventurous turn when No Day But Today from Rent followed, but then the programme soon settled back into familiar territory with People, I Could Have Danced All Night and another Maybe (this time from Miss Saigon) and others in a similar style and tempo. The inevitable encore, As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver!, was delivered in Nancy’s cockney voice and was, unsurprisingly, the evening’s standout moment.

Holmes possesses a glorious voice with an impressive range, but too often, the song choices played it safe. Every now and then, she unleashed flashes of gospel and blues tones that hinted at something bolder, only to retreat to more conventional material. She’s an engaging performer, and once the early nerves disappeared, she had the audience completely in her grasp. The RPCO provided magnificent support throughout; few things are more exhilarating than a first-class orchestra accompanying a singer of Holmes’ calibre.

There was little here to surprise anyone, but perhaps that wasn’t the point. This was a polished album launch wrapped up as a concert, and judging by the standing ovation – and the queue at the merchandise desk afterwards – Holmes gave an audience of family, friends and fans exactly the evening they had come for.