Lorna Irvine reviews 'a Hollywood-inspired extravaganza'.
With choreography and creative direction by Arlene Phillips and tap choreography by Douglas Mills, starring American showbiz legend Lorna Luft, this show could only be a Hollywood-inspired extravaganza.
And, a couple of glitches with microphones aside, it is. Luft is a charming presence, with the pipes and humour to match her mother. She tells a fantastic anecdote of when her mother had them all swap the shoes outside the Savoy Hotel guest rooms, as "who would suspect Judy Garland?!"
The cast are routinely fantastic--Luft's gorgeous, versatile Boyfriends (six young men in sharp suits) who provide humour, harmonies and high-stepping. She flirts with them on 'Come Rain or Come Shine'--and many women and some men in the audience are envious.
An impish Ray Quinn and Louise Dearman duet beautifully together on 'Me and My Gal’, but Dearman, although a gorgeous singer, seems too modern R'n'B to evoke 'Stormy Weather’. She's better emulating the duets of Garland and Barbra Streisand with Luft--they're a great fit vocally.
It's Rachel Stanley, the leggy redhead, who most impresses in supporting roles. She's a hell of a tap dancer, and at times vocally most resembles Judy in her thirties.
Unfortunately a full live band would have been better. The backing tracks are fine, but you can't beat the fleshed out sound.
Above all, the real star is of course the great Judy Garland. The footage of Judy is poignant, making this more than a mere tribute show. She sings to a young Lorna and displays that sharp comic timing, but when she's describing an outdoor concert where she had to swat insects away it's hilarious, yet her eyes look so haunted. But that's showbiz for you--performers “smile when they are low".
Garland had more highs and lows than most but was one of the best, and still endures.
At Theatre Royal until June 6th.
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