“Charming. So unbelievably charming”
So often new musicals leave you wondering why. Why has this been made? Not so with this deliciously clean and succinct show about artist Marie-Berthe Cazin.
We meet Marie-Berthe, played by Rosalind Ford in her messy ‘curated’ studio whilst she is awaiting her childhood friend Henrietta Tirman. Prompting her to reflect on her life we’re whisked off on a journey of easy jazz and inspiration.
Rosalind Ford is formidable, the storytelling effortless and truthful, immediately setting the audience at ease. I’ll be honest I could watch Rosalind sing the yellow pages and I’m sure I’d be entranced. So pop her skills on a clever and witty script and you’re on to a winner. Rosalind skillfully ‘plays’ the people we meet along the way giving us her takes on their personalities but with enough physical change to make it clear. Her voice warms the space – particularly in her lower register.
Speaking of the curated studio, the set from Rachael Ryan is messy yet organised, everything belongs and perfectly gives a sense of the person we’re about to go on a journey with. One thing I did miss out on was the open window – it’s always a shame if in a thrust audience we miss out on moments!
The band are delicious, unobtrusive, and squished up on a platform for the audience to enjoy. It really is a testament to the composer Jack Miles that they are so seamlessly integrated to the intention of the piece.
My favourite thing about this show is essentially it’s what I call a ‘wikipedia’ show – a full life journey of one person – hard to squeeze into 1 hour and a half, however the clever writing from Rebecca Simmonds, and the way songs are in present tense allows us to live with the character. It’s also just always a joy to see an older female lead, and a female character who is flawed, with even Marie-Berthe acknowledging it to the audience ‘it was petulant’.
What was missing on occasion was additional voices and chorus; it’s difficult to stay with Marie for that long without looking for a little variety, particularly in some of the longer songs. Additionally the ending song feels a little like we need to wrap it up in a positive way, and is the only song which feels out of place with Marie-Berthe’s life as a consequence.
Should you go see it? 1 million percent, I left uplifted and charmed and ready to move to Paris to live as an artist.