Matt Cardle impresses in West End musical debut in Memphis

Matt Cardle has said how nervous he was about his West End debut in Memphis, but judging from last night's performance in London, you wouldn't have guessed it.

The former X Factor winner has put his recording career on hold to appear in the Tony Award-winning musical opposite singing powerhouse Beverley Knight, and it may well have been an incredibly wise choice.

Replacing Killian Donnelly in the role of DJ Huey Calhoun was always going to be tough - especially as we called him a "superstar" in our review last year - but Cardle has most definitely made the part his own.

If you didn't already know, Memphis is based loosely on the story of DJ Dewey Phillips, a supposed redneck who loves the soul and sound of "race music" of the early 1950s. He helps bring such awesome sounds to a white audience for the first time, either a highly positive moment or an incredibly controversial one, depending on which side you were on at the time.

As we've said before, the music in Memphis is fantastic and a lot of fun, with characters that you quickly warm to and root for. There are also moments of genuine shock and sadness, and the performances of its leading and supportive cast are excellent, especially Beverley Knight as singer Felicia Farrell.

All eyes were on Cardle last night however, as many attendees no doubt wondered whether he could take on such a flamboyant role. Appearing relatively stiff and shy in his X Factor days, Cardle was a joy as Huey, playing him with a childlike innocence and rather dorky. He may even want to try out a career in radio, as he has an awesome patter going on.

Cardle's relative drop from fame since winning The X Factor over One Direction and Cher Lloyd in 2010 has been a bizarre one, considering that he clearly has a brilliant voice and released three decent albums. Huey's own downfall somewhat mirrors Cardle's unfair dip from the limelight, and he plays it with a brilliantly knowing manner.

Some people were no doubt hoping for a popstar with no acting experience to fail in such a big role, but he is genuinely impressive and may have found a perfect avenue to be seen and heard again, as he is a true star, and Memphis a solid gold hit.

Memphis continues at London's Shaftesbury Theatre until October 31, 2015.

Watch a teaser for the musical below: