Musical Supervisor/Director for award winning “BEST SHOW” Cinderella at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, produced by Evolution Productions. I’m very proud to have received an award for BEST MUSIC in the Great British Pantomime Awards 2020, for my music creations and performance in this show.

This was a top quality panto, playing to a packed, and beautiful theatre, with standing ovations every night. I felt incredibly proud hearing months worth of my work, being pulled off by the best in the business. Evolution are an incredible forward thinking company, fully utilising the talents and skills of their team. My JH showmanship approach was totally encouraged, with many moments for band interaction, with myself and the band fully showcased in the grand boxes, we were the opposite of a standard ‘boring’ theatre ‘pit band’ and grabbed the opportunity to perform/entertain our audiences with both hands. The band even had various on-stage cameo appearances weaved into the show!

Phil Gallagher

I feel really blessed to have met and worked with James Harrison. He is the ultimate professional and incredibly talented! James is clever at working within budget but always delivers an amazing end product. He’s an enthusiastic, creative, positive spirit and equally impressive on stage or from his studio. The variety, depth and quality of his work is outstanding…and I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Phil Gallagher (Best known as "Mister Maker" from CBeebies)

Joanne Clifton

I’ve had such a wonderful fun time with our MD James Harrison. He’s been fantastic! We’ve had fun warm-ups including pilau rice and all blumin’ sorts! We’ve changed up all the fairy rhyming couplets… instead of just saying them, we’ve made them into all the Strictly dance styles! I can’t wait to work with him again.

Joanne Clifton (Best known from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing)

Celebrity Radio

5* show. Best Pantomime in the country! James Harrison is a musical genius. He’s brought a 3 dimensional sound to this show. He’s an incredible musician. There are many levels to his talents. Of course he can play the piano to the level of a concert pianist, the best in the world, stunning. But most cleverly of all, he underscores this entire production with the most beautiful piano, giving it an extra edge that I’ve truly never seen before. His band are constantly showcased, what a great idea to have the band in the boxes, to be able to see them, not just hear them! He even gets to show off at the end on stage! This guy truly is a genius.

Celebrity Radio

Matthew Jackson

5* show. The Lyceum Theatre panto is the jewel on Evolution Pantomime’s crown. To complete the wonderful show is Musical Director James Harrison who himself is a star of the show. Harrison fully interacts with the show from one of the boxes, alongside his band. His enthusiasm is infectious and his work with the music leads to some strong musical numbers, full of electrifying energy which includes a really nice rework of You Don’t Even Know It from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Matthew Jackson, The Theatre Twittic

Adele Forrest

Joanne Clifton’s Strictly background is weaved in well — her rhyming couplets are given different musical twists from jazz to tango — and she also gets to spread her wings and show off a great samba routine during the obligatory ball. The award for the most enthusiastic musical director goes to James Harrison, who was jumping and bopping about his booth in full view of the audience. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious — sod Cinders and the Prince getting hitched, I was more elated to see Harrison finally get his moment on stage during the finale, complete with a snazzy costume, proving that dreams really do come true.

Adele Forrest, Rotherham Advertiser

Paul Hendy

I want to say a heartfelt thank you for all your hard work on our shows. You did an incredible job and it was a genuine pleasure collaborating with you. Your professionalism, enthusiasm, energy and dedication is astonishing. Seriously brilliant work, I think you’ve outdone yourself! I’m very proud of the shows, and I will never forget the experience. Thank you!

Paul Hendy (Producer/Director, Evolution Productions)