Review: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

First and foremost, this is a must see production;
a wonderful show from start to finish, produced expertly
by Donnamarie Stamp with a superb cast.

The play itself is beautifully written by multiaward winning playwright Jim Cartwright.

As the curtains opened, the audience had a great set to feast their eyes upon; a living room, fully working kitchen, an upstairs and as revealed later in the play, a section of wall that opened to show outdoor scenes.

There was a sense of realism with the clutter in the Kitchen, the 80s décor and props, the lighting effects which showed several power cuts very convincingly and the sound effects and music. This was a real collective effort by the whole production team to make all of these effects work so well.

I was thoroughly impressed by the whole cast too. LV was the perfect role for Lesley Harris who with a stunning singing voice was able to perform so many songs in so many styles; her final performance being an impressive treat for the audience. On top of this she played the timid victim excellently.

Frank Stamp as Ray Say was absolutely convincing as the manipulative, small-time manager. He was sleazy but sweet, determined but thoughtful. I thought both his brutal show-down with Mari and his final scene were brilliant; gritty, emotional and brave.

Sarah Mullins as Sadie, the almost mute neighbour was hilarious! To make a character with very few lines such a great one takes skill, so hats off to her!

Alan Pattenden as Mr Boo was a perfect casting; his scenes as the club host were very rousing.

Scott Ord, playing Billy, had his debut on the stage and I thought he did a lovely job. The relationship between himself and LV was really sweet.

John Mitchell played LV’s late father, and although this was a small role, it was a significant one and I actually cried when he stood in the audience overlooking her final club performance. A great touch.

I have saved Joan Young till last as she played the part of Mari Hoff, the boozy, selfish mother of LV, to an absolute T. What a triumph! I could easily imagine Joan on a professional stage. Every line was delivered with punch, pace and passion and she embraced the character from head to toe. She made us laugh, cry and screw our faces in disgust, all in one speech! I loved watching her perform and Joan, along with the rest of the cast, the wonderful set and production qualities, made this one of my favourite shows. Well done RLT.

Reviewed by Victoria Evans