Reader Reviews
Piaf (Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield)
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 | Edith Piaf lives! This is a mesmerizing performance. The stark wonderfully atmospheric set, the music of the Paris pavement cafe, the brilliant white spotlight, the giant shadows of France's adored little 'sparrow', provide the perfect backdrop for this frenetic tour through the scrapbook of her life. It's not a play, it's not a musical, it's just a series of scenes each perfectly illustrated by Piaf's legendary songs. Above all it is an extraordinary realistic and captivating performance. Anna-Jane Casey is Piaf! David Tomlinson (Sheffield) - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 30 Mar 04 |
| Piaf is a show which I have not seen for many years, and sadly I was disappointed by the ‘book’. Pam Gem’s writing now seems overly shallow, presenting just very brief, and badly drawn, snapshots of her life. For example her ‘love-of-her-life’, the married boxer Marcel Cerdan is introduced and despatched (via a very clichéd soundtrack of a plane crashing) all in the space of four minutes, most of which is spent cavorting on a chaisse-longue! Any actress has an uphill struggle to make subsequent grief seem poignant based on such a foundation. In addition I am almost sure that Gem’s has manipulated the facts of Piaf’s life – was her mentor Leplee really murdered by a boyfriend of hers? Even the programme notes suggest otherwise! Later in the show much is made of the fact that her final husband Theo was very young (twenty years her junior), the fact that he was gay is not mentioned, which for such a sexual being as Piaf is surely worth a brief mention - if not more. Therefore coming away from the theatre having enjoyed the show is tribute indeed to the skill of Anna-Jane Casey, who is simply sensational in the title role. Blessed with a tiny, almost emaciated figure of her own, she physically embodies Piaf, and is utterly convincing playing the old raddled singer towards the end of her life. Like the character she also possesses a voice which would seem be more appropriate in a woman 3 or 4 times her size, and the songs were thrilling. ‘Hymne a l’Amour’ made the hairs on the back of my neck stand – AJC has great diction and a full range from almost a whisper to full open throat belt. She is ably backed in this production by Don Gallagher, Alistair David (who does a mean Marlene Dietrich!), Dylan Charles and Philip Benjamin, some of whom occasionally increase the ranks of the musicians – David Gilbrook, Steve Cooper and Peter Fairclough. The production re-unites AJC with, Timothy Sheader, whose direction here I take some issues with. In my opinion there are sloppy moments – such as a sugar-glass goblet being dropped on stage at the end of a number, the pieces are left and audibly crunch throughout the rest of the act every time someone uses that part of the stage. Why? Faults notwithstanding, this is still a show worth seeing and further evidence (after A Chorus Line and Suddenly Last Summer) of the strength of Sheffield Theatres at present. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.137.136.35) | 25 Mar 04 |
