THE RISE AND FALL OF
LITTLE VOICE
By Carlo Vuolo,
Cirencester Scene Magazine
Following the resounding successes of the first two
productions at The Barn Theatre, the brilliant musical ‘The Secret Garden’ and
the stark realism of ‘One Minute’, the last show of the current season is an
uplifting and engaging tragi-comedy. ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ by Jim
Cartwright, which has been named one of the 50 best plays in the history of
theatre, opened on July 7th.
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| Sarah Louise Hughes as Little Voice |
It is the tale of a shy, reclusive northern girl, nicknamed Little Voice
(LV), living with Mari, her domineering, alcoholic mother. LV’s only comfort is
listening to her late father’s collection of old vinyl records, from which she
learns to impersonate famous singers, including Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and
Marylin Monroe.
Sarah Louise Hughes, making her professional debut, excelled
as the title character, Little Voice, and blew the audience away with the sheer
power of her ‘Massive Voice’ after she has been persuaded - or rather coerced,
into performing at the local nightclub. We really thought we were listening to
the great stars themselves as she finally opened up and released all her inner
tensions and frustrations, albeit temporarily. Mari’s long-suffering neighbour,
Sadie, mercilessly teased and ‘fat-shamed’ by Mari, was played with appropriate
resigned pathos by Larissa Hunter.
Failed talent scout, the scheming Ray Say, is played menacingly
by Gary Richards as the latest in a long line of Mari’s useless boyfriends. He
hears LV sing and sees her as his big chance of fame and fortune. Her mother,
mistakenly thinking her daughter’s success would secure her own relationship
with Ray, persuades her to comply against her will when he ruthlessly coerces
Little Voice into singing at his friend Mr Boo’s seedy nightclub. It ends badly
for all.
There was some welcome light relief with the sweet, gentle friendship
LV struck up with the equally shy Billy (Hadley Brown), an apprentice telephone
engineer with his own hidden talent, as well as the entertaining comedic
interaction between the telephone fitter (Stephen Omer) and Mari.
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| Gillian Cafferty as Mari and Sarah Louise Hughes as Little Voice |
The glue which held the whole story together was, however,
undoubtedly the superb performance of Gillian McCafferty as Mari. Her
performance was brilliant, and her comic timing accurate to the nanosecond. She
even kept in character during the interval, drinking ‘vodka and Malibu’ in the theatre
bar with Sadie and bantering with the audience as they passed by.
With the cleverly designed set, The Barn Theatre backstage team
used their technological wizardry to recreate a convincing representation of Northern
back-to-back gloom and deprivation.
This production is guaranteed to raise laughs and lift your
spirits. It is a delight from start to finish and is another ‘must see’
offering from the Barn Theatre team. Cirencester is so, so lucky to have this
wonderful facility.
Tickets can be booked on www.barntheatre.org.uk or 01285
648255.
Please be aware that
mature language, smoking and adult themes are used throughout the show.
www.cirencester-scene.co.uk
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