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End of The Rainbow
Wolverhampton Grand
*****
JUDY Garland’s death from a barbiturate overdose in 1969 marked the
tragic end of a troubled and fragile life. The little
girl who skipped down the yellow brick road went on to lose her way in
catastrophic style as she battled one demon after another. Flawed and
battered by her addictions, the end of the rainbow was sadly never far
away. Peter
Quilter’s gutsy play takes up the story not long before Garland’s death
as she embarks on a series of concerts at London’s Talk of The Town
towards the end of 1968. On a set
that doubles as her hotel room and the glitzy stage itself, the story
ebbs and flows between her entangled relationships and snippets of her
performance. Quilter
resists any urge to glamourise his depiction; it’s an honest, earthy
account - far from rose coloured and with its fair share of expletives. Exchanges between Garland and her soon to be fifth husband, Mickey Deans, and her devoted pianist, Anthony Chapman, are fueled by a constant, toxic diet of drugs and booze. At
her best her passion is infectious. She fills the room, commanding (and
getting ) adoration. At her worst, when the pay-off inevitably kicks in,
she is childlike, exhausted and utterly lost. As the spiral continue
This is no concealed attempt to shoehorn in some well-known songs around
a thin piece of narrative. Nor is it a
Stars In Your Eyes
impression show. While the songs are delivered exquisitely, it’s the
drama that cuts through and leaves the most lasting impression. Garland
thrived on drama. She needed it. When everyday life couldn't provide it,
she sought it outside reality.
Barely
off the stage, Lisa Maxwell is something of a revelation as Garland.
Diminutive in stature, as the lady was, but giving a towering
performance on every level. The quivering vulnerability of that iconic
singing voice, the angled gestures, the switch from happy to sad in an
instant - all captured to perfection. This must
have been a huge challenge for Maxwell whose back catalogue is not
theatre heavy. She meets it with aplomb and delivers a genuine tour de
force.
Casting Directors must file Gary Wilmot under
Dependable and solid.
Here, he provides a calming, measured antidote to Maxwell’s erratic
energy. Wilmot plays Anthony Chapman, Garland’s homosexual pianist. Fiercely
protective and loyal to his fading employer, Chapman did all he could to
save her. The scene where he tries to persuade Garland to live with him
in domestic bliss in Brighton - ‘Do you like Shepherd’s Pie?’ - is
beautifully played by both actors. Sam
Attwater impresses as Mickey Deans, Garland's
manager and final husband while Simon Pontin purrs nicely as the Radio
Interviewer. Directed
by Daniel Buckroyd for Colchester Mercury Theatre, this is a must see
production. Beautifully written with a central performance that simply
raises the roof. Forget your troubles and get yourself a ticket. To
20-04-16
Tom Roberts 18-04-16 Judy Garland was found dead by Mickey Deans in the bathroom of their rented mews house in Chelsea on 22 June, 1969, just 12 days after her 47th birthday. At the inquest coroner Gavin Thursdon gave the cause of death as an ‘incautious self-overdosage’ of barbiturates; stressing the overdose had been unintentional and there was no evidence she had committed suicide. Catching a falling star *****
PETITE actress Lisa Maxwell gives a towering performance as fading
global star Judy Garland in this story of the American singer’s
five-week come-back tour at London’s Talk of the Town. It
is a tough role to play, dealing with the great lady’s drink and drug
problems as well as trying to replicate that iconic voice, but she
succeeds and thoroughly deserved the
Lisa, of TV’s Loose Women fame, had a special voice coach before
agreeing to accept the part, and she clearly satisfied Garland fans with
The Man That Got Away, Come Rain or
Come Shine and, naturally,
Over the Rainbow. It’s
agonising to watch at times as the star grapples with her own demons
while coping with a new young fiancé who is prepared to shovel pills and
drink down her throat to get her on stage and pull in the cash when she
is reluctant to leave her hotel, and just wants to be loved for herself.
And Lisa
has to be able to swear like a trooper as well as sing like a star to
give a graphic indication of life away from the glitz and glamour. Her
acting when the star has gulped down pills intended for a cocker spaniel
is remarkable. And that
underlines the fact that, for all the heartbreak scenes, the show,
produced by Paul Taylor-Mills, has some wonderfully humorous moments. Gary
Wilmot is hugely impressive, too, as Garland’s gay, caring and
protective accompanist, Anthony Chapman, with Sam Attwater a convincing
Mickey Deans, who marries the star shortly before she dies in London of
an overdose of barbituates. She was just 47. To
20.04.16 Paul Marston
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