Guest Reviewer Laura Locke gives us her thoughts on ‘Piaf’ by The Gallery Players at The Gallery Studio Theatre 13th to 18th November
A cold dark Monday night and windy to boot. The thought of leaving the fireside to see a play was not attractive, other than I knew, ultimately, that I would not regret it. The Gallery Players sets the standards others try to emulate and I knew I would have no regrets in leaving the fireside.
The biography of the small and mighty Piaf has been transferred onto the stage by Pam Gems, and lovingly brought to life in an intimate setting at the small and mighty Gallery Studio Theatre by director Steve Taplin and a highly talented cast, crew and musical ensemble.
On arrival, we are ushered into our seats wrapped around the multi-function set, which metamorphosed into a night club, Piaf’s apartment, and The Ritz, in a tightly choreographed routine executed by the cast. I must admit to being slightly uncomfortable, initially, about being so close as to be almost on set, but soon became so immersed in the performances and the proximity of the action enhanced the experience. I felt I could reach out and grab a brandy.
The play starts and ends with a failing and fragile Piaf. Her minuscule body held an enormous power and passion and Emily Bennett presented the chanson singer’s car crash of a life with complete and utter authenticity. From her street busking to earn the ‘pain’, through her rise to fame and to her ultimate and tragically early demise.
Emily Bennett lived and breathed Piaf. Through her deeply researched characterisation and brilliant emulation of Piaf’s distinctive vibrato, her facial expressions are finely crafted, and her body language is evocative. She was a sensitive, foul-mouthed, humorous expression of the dilemma of the woman and her complex and intimate relationships, and we were drawn into her life and bereaved by her death.
The strength of the three key women’s performances brought the story to life for me. Emily Watt as cheeky, rough diamond friend Toine was delightfully crude and deliciously irreverent and her body language expressive and giving.
Evie White, is beautiful and statuesque as Marlene Deitrich and used her gorgeous, rich, warm voice to great effect, and her bodily contrast to that of Piaf’s physicality was highly effective.
I feel the feminist playwright Gems created the male roles to be supporting, and they danced and circulated Piaf and epitomised how her relationship with men defined her life, and were both facilitative and damaging. The talented actors played multiple characters with skill, style and empathy. Some physical scenes must have taken enormous time to plot and manage and must have been the source of mirth in the rehearsal rooms.
The musical ensemble of Olly Wood on piano, Matt Snow on accordion, and Harriet Bennett on double bass, were all deeply involved in the play as actors, singers, set movers, prop handlers, and even the piano being wheeled out was executed with great intent and panache.
The energy of the production was tangible and the action never stopped, with the cast sparking into life carrying props and bringing on the Piaf lights in the switch-in scenes. The highly creative set had the mark of Dave Borthwick’s genius and the lighting, costume and use of film placed us firmly in the era of Piaf’s life through the war.
My only regret was not learning more about Piaf’s songwriting craft. The songs that were so unique and arranged for the ensemble musicians by Bennett were such an intrinsic part of Piaf’s performance. But it wasn’t until I reflected afterwards that I realised there was no reference to how she was involved in their creation.
Particularly my favourite song is La Hymne a l’Amour.., which was an homage to her beloved boxer lover Marcel Cerdan, who died so tragically in a plane crash on the way to see her, a fact that haunted Piaf till her death.
You owe it yourself to see it, and to Suffolk to support live theatre. We are so lucky to have Gallery Studio Theatre in our cultural environment.
Tickets are available online on their website – click here for more details Gallery Players .
SUFFOLK THEATRE 