Over The Rainbow – The Story of Eva Cassidy (Tour – Whitley Bay)

Over the Rainbow is the story of Eva Cassidy, who found fame in the U.K. after Terry Wogan started to play her recordings. Sadly by then Eva had already died of cancer, aged only 33.

In this production, because of the excellent cast, we can forgive the basic sets, poor projections, uneven script and loose direction and just sit back and enjoy the music. There is not a weak link in the casting with Sarah Jane Buckley playing Eva, in a performance that is worth travelling some distance to see. She manages to capture the purity of Eva’s voice, as well as ensure we understand the singer had the mysterious X Factor in bucketfuls. From the rest of the cast, instantly recognisable are Maureen Nolan as Eva’s mother and from Strictly Come Dancing, Brian Fortuna, making his acting and singing debut, as her brother Danny.

The musical follows Eva’s life from fourteen years old, the tense relationship with her father and ultimately succumbing to illness, while incorporating all the songs we are familiar with. However, the very talented cast deserve to be given higher production values, which would make the musical a sure fire winner.