The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Derby theatre

Playwright Jim Cartwright is one of our most important contemporary English  dramatists. “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice”  is one of his finest achievements. First performed in 1992 on stage, then made for film in 1998,  this revival features a superb cast lead by Christina Bianco as the eponymous Little Voice.

The part could have been written for Bianco who has risen to fame as an outstanding singer whose forte is impersonating the singing styles of others. Her You Tube performances have been watched over 25 million times.  LV  requires the impersonation of Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Shirley Bassey and Julie Andrews amongst others, it is perfect for her. She is perfect for the part.

The original production of the play, directed by Sam Mendes, and film made a star of Jane Horrocks, Pete  Postlethwaite and Alison Steadman, the subsequent film featured Michael Caine, subsequent productions have always attracted top performing talent including recently Beverley Callard and Diana Vickers, and with good reason. Cartwright has a knack of writing memorable characters.

Although 30 years  have passed since its debut,  this modern fairy tale still engages and beguiles.

 Christina Bianco’s vocals inevitably  command the audience’s attention but it  is mother, Mari (Shobna Gulati), who is the narrative driving force in a powerhouse acting performance for which she is seldom off stage. Swathed in pink satin she seduces  boyfriend Ray ( Ian Kelsey) then cajoles and prods LV on to success despite grinding poverty combining lacquer and liquor in equally copious amounts, invoking  the spirit of  Duke Senior’s Shakespeare’s line “Sweet are the uses of adversity”.

The second act is stronger than the first, the latter  in which LV does little, but the second half features LV delivering a live set which is magnificent, with sound and music design  by Andrew Johnson and Eamonn O’Dwyer. Yet it is Gulati’s soliloquy on poverty and escape in an incendiary finale which captures the essence of the evening, even if Bianco is the sound of it.’

An imaginative, two storey   sliced open doll’s house set, designed by Sara Perks, and wonderfully lit  ( and not lit, and intermittently lit) by lighting director Nic Farman, is striking and works well, allowing us into the  family home in an era when “X factor” and “Popstars” were not available as an alternative to hard work in the entertainment  industry.  Indeed Kelsey’s impresario character Ray must surely have inspired Simon Cowell. Kelsey’s vicious bullying of the “past it” Mari is a show stopping highlight of the night

Director Bronagh Lagan has a fearsomely diverse track record as a director and those skills are on display in an inspired , faithful revival, which teeters on becoming a musical before reverting to kitchen sink drama. She is particularly adept at pacing the show and showcasing the contrast between LV’s first act timidity, then second act performing bombast, and Gulati’s brashness and despair. Another memorable production at Derby theatre, playing to7^th May and  touring nationwide until 16th July.