Let Us Fly

Synopsis

Musical based on the life and songs of the poet, songwriter and actor, Vladimir Vysotsky. Let Us Fly is freely based on leading French actress Marina Vlady's best selling memoir of her marriage and life with Vladimir Vysotsky. She was Juliette in Jean Luc Goddard's film Two or Three Things I Know about Her which was re-released in the UK in 2001.

Our Review:

12 September 2002

At least the creators of this new biographical musical didn't follow the lead of Buddy, Lautrec or Napoleon and call their show Vysotsky, or theatregoers would have been saying, "Who?" As it is, audiences may well be tempted to ask "Why?", and sadly, Let Us Fly - the title that the authors have actually chosen - proves to be more a wish on their part than what their show actually achieves.

The King's Head was serving fortifying vodka in the interval on press night, but it would take more than a few shots to swallow what was being served on stage. Vladimir Vysotsky was, we are told, a much beloved Russian poet, songwriter, actor, and folk hero who died in 1980, aged 42, and this show uses some two-dozen of his own songs, translated into dull, sometimes thudding English by Peter Kellogg and the late Albert C Todd, to decorate the story of his turbulent and passionate life.

But this is sadly no Mamma Mia!, using back catalogue song...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 22 September 2002:

The Kings Head offers uncomfortable seating, a bare stage, no sound desk (bliss) and certainly no barricade, chandilier or helicopter. This is theatre at its most basic but acting at its most superb. We probably miss much of the reason for the piece, not knowing of Vladimier Vysotsky, but you are soon transported by superb acting into the emotion and despair felt by a talent so repressed. All the songs are Vysotsky's own works, packed with emotion, humour and ridicule. A Russian poet, songwriter, actor on stage and screen, banned by the authorities for the satirical content of his works in a heavily repressed Russia, much loved by the ordinary people to whom he risked everything to perform in secret. Sadly he died aged 41. The cast is headed by the superb Dave Willetts a master at the tortured soul, who is even more incredible because of the close proximity and reliance on shere acting ability. The songs are amazingly European rather than the Russian folksongs I expected, often leaving you breathless and hurting they are so packed with emotion. Not a light hearted happy evening, but one that leaves you aching - not only because of the seats, but the wasted talent....

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