The mutually beneficial creative partnership between West Yorkshire Playhouse and Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company continues in this magical and marvellous revival of Jim Cartwright’s social realist tragi-comedy. Under James Brining’s masterful direction and with a design to die for from Colin Richmond the show benefits from a stand-out lead performance by Nancy Sullivan as Little Voice, or LV as she affectionately is known.
Remaining stoically in her bedroom in the two-up-two-down northern terrace house, LV’s life is a fast flit between being a mute in isolated loneliness and a beautifully talented musical mimic. This is a gift that has been hidden away for years by her hateful mother, Mari, played with suitable pitiful crudity and cruelty by Vicky Entwhistle. Mari continually misbehaves in a floozy’s life fuelled by alcohol and in search of cheap thrills.
When she picks up local talent scout Ray Say (adeptly played by Chris Gascoyne) for a fling he can’t help but notice LV’s sultry tones emanating from upstairs and is immediately struck by the fact that this could be his golden egg to the big time. But just as her mother is an overbearing slob, guilty of both child neglect and abuse, Ray is equally slippery, sly and selfish.
LV’s only real friend turns out to be Billy, who becomes her unlikely suitor after installing their BT phone line. Like her he has a hidden talent, in his case dreams to be big in lighting, and Philip Gladwell shows what Tendaye Jembere’s character is capable of in the finale. But before this LV has to go through the ordeal of live performance and club manager Mr Boo proves just as much a bullying chancer and callous opportunist as Ray.
Though there are sparks of brilliance in the songs LV gives the public with the aid of total darkness it takes some time for her to gain more confidence as a performer – belting out the songs her late father loved and left to her in a vinyl record collection, including Judy Garland, Marilyn Munroe, Shirley Bassey and Edith Piaf.
But in the disastrous climax of the show she finally finds her own voice, broken free from the schism between mute and diva. The rapturous uproar in the Leeds audience that is received is more joyous than any I’ve seen for years and at the after-show party not enough thanks could be given to cast and creatives for supplying one of the top theatrical nights of the year.
Reviewed by Rich Jevons on 9 June, runs until 4 July, West Yorkshire Playhouse
Photos: Keith Pattison