Review of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at Dundee Rep

Mar 8 2011 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

IT’S just three years since a top drawer cast toured The Rise and Fall of Little Voice to Tayside, taking in both Dundee Rep and Perth Theatre.

So it was quite surprising that Jim Cartwright’s award-winning play was among this season’s Dundee Rep Ensemble productions.

Jim Cartwright premiered his modern-day fairy tale for the theatre in 1992 after writing it especially for actress Jane Horrocks to illustrate her amazing ability to sing and mimic the great divas of the past.

The same actress also starred in the subsequent film version.

It’s the moving story of a shy, reclusive girl named Little Voice (LV) and her extrovert, utterly selfish mother, Mari Hoff.

Desperately missing her dead father and in need of a caring, understanding mother, Little Voice spends her time shut away in her bedroom listening to his old record collection and perfecting astonishing impersonations of famous divas.

When Mari starts dating small time club agent Ray Say, she thinks he is her final chance for a better life.

He has a different agenda and when he hears Little Voice sing, his ruthless trait surfaces when he thinks she is his ticket to the big time.

It is obvious that not everyone is going to get what they want, and in the changing dynamics, all forms of human emotions surface.

It is a beautifully written play with drama, pathos, humour and depth of characters. But it requires spot-on casting for ALL characters to achieve its full potential, and unfortunately Dundee Rep fails to hit the bullseye on this vital point.

Under director Jemima Levick, excellent performances are given by Irene Macdougall as the hilariously coarse but ultimately vulnerable Mari Hoff, Emily Winter as the nice-but-dim and remarkably loyal Sadie, John Buick as night club owner Mr Boo and Tony McGeever as the shy Billy.

Where this patchy production falters is with the all-so-important LV and the sleazy and ambitious Ray Say.

Helen Darbyshire, an ensemble member through this year’s graduate intake, is very good as LV but lacks the ‘wow’ factor. Jim Cartwright gave LV a repertoire of songs which include Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland; the Rep’s version features Motown songs – good, and obviously songs with which Helen feels comfortable, but in an altogether lower league.

The young actress does, however, capture well the painful shyness, emotional damage and fragility of this young woman and her blossoming in her ultimately discovered confidence.

Robert Paterson’s Ray Say lacks the character’s brashness and ruthlessness and he over-eggs the sleaziness.

The production does score big time with Janet Bird’s set of Mari Hoff’s manky home, cleverly engineered to rotate 45 degrees to show that the exterior is just as shabby as the inside, while Mr Boo’s nightclub is easily created front of stage with shiny ribbon curtains, nifty lighting (Colin Grenfell) and some cabaret-style seating.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice continues at Dundee Rep until March 19.

Alison Anderson