Tell Me On A Sunday
Louth Playgoers
Riverhead Theatre
9 – 12 November 2022
Tell Me On A Sunday is a lesser-known Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical. It’s a fantastic showcase for individual, female, musical theatre performers as a one-woman show and has provided a platform for numerous actresses to demonstrate their versatility and their talent down the years. It is rarely performed by amateur companies because with a cast of one, its difficult to fill a theatre, whereas professional productions have the attraction of star power and occasional “stunt casting”. So, it’s a bold choice for director Jamie Harris and assistant director Gary Starkie. The musicians in the pit and the offstage backing singers vastly outnumber the onstage talent and so it requires a real presence to hold the attention of the audience over 25 songs about relationships and heartbreak.
Fortunately, Harris and Starkie have cast two actresses sharing the role over alternating performances from Wednesday to Saturday that are not only capable of performing the mammoth task, but do so with real X factor (not the tacky TV style!). The pivotal role of “The Girl” is performed by Emma Wighton and Nicola Law on alternate nights. I was delighted when I first heard of their casting, as they are two of my favourite performers in musical theatre across Lincolnshire.
This year, I have seen Emma as Eliza in My Fair Lady with Curtain Up Productions at Grimsby Auditorium and as Lauren in Kinky Boots at the Majestic Theatre in Retford. Nikki Law was last seen onstage at the Riverhead in its all-conquering production of Shrek as a hilarious Donkey and I previously loved her as Miss Hannigan in Annie at the same theatre a few years ago. There is no doubting either performer’s credentials and they each demonstrate mastery of the form as they lead us through Tell me On A Sunday.
Musical Director is Christopher Peters who often works with Hambledon Productions providing musical diversions for John Hewer’s Tommy Cooper or assisting musically with the Riverhead Theatre’s summer school productions. Here, he leads a tight, six-piece band who solidly back the production, never missing a beat and driving the action forward confidently and with real professionalism. The music is wonderfully Lloyd-Webber. There are themes reminiscent of his other work such as Sunset Boulevard and Love Never Dies in the score, and of course the hit songs Take That Look Off Your Face and Tell Me On A Sunday. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of the 2013 addition to the score of Dreams Never Run On Time, which had not featured in the original staging with Marti Webb.
The set is a wonderful representation of a single woman’s apartment in New York, home to “The Girl” who we follow through a series of romantic entanglements, falling in and out of love during her time there and in LA when she meets a producer named Sheldon. It is a classic case of form meeting function and the set gives plenty of scope for movement as the performer prowls the stage often talking to non-existent partners and giving them a piece of her mind. I loved the levels and the simple staging that gave an efficient platform to perform.
And so, to the performers… two actresses given the same songs, the same blocking and the same musical direction and yet capable of offering very different interpretations of the character in deft and subtle ways. Some of the differences are almost imperceptible and yet they ARE there. I watched both girls give their interpretation of the role one after the other and found myself asking “How did they differ?” and yet I knew they did. Each performer was rehearsed separately, to avoid being influenced by the other’s interpretation and the two girls only came together this week and it was so lovely to see each congratulating the other on their individual (magnificent) performances. There is no rivalry here, each is supportive of the other and is keen to give their best to the audiences from Wednesday onwards this week.
First up for me was Emma. Wighton’s take on "The Girl" is a fragile young woman who is finding her feet as she launches into a new life overseas, writing loving letters home to her mother, which are full of hope and optimism for the future. It is easy to see why her character attracts so much male attention and yet sad that so many of the men concerned are essentially love rats who let her down. Her choice in men seems somewhat unreliable. We are led through a series of complicated romantic entanglements and witness a huge range of emotion through song as this show is completely sung-through with no spoken text. Wighton’s crystal clear eyes demonstrate the passion behind the performance, she really sells the story to us and we see a host of sides to make this a very real, very rounded character. Her vocal delivery is absolutely on point and it is a delight to hear a singer perform without feeling the need to resort to a faux American accent when singing. This emphasises the impact a British accent can have on an American in New York and helps to explain how The Girl manages to set so many hearts aflutter. Wighton’s performance ends on a positive note as The Girl packs her case and walks into her uncertain future with an optimistic glint and a smile that ensures the audience that everything will work out for this girl in time.
Nicola Law’s performance is subtly different, as I mention above. Here we are presented with a tougher, more resilient girl who won’t stand for any nonsense and is less concerned with the “romantic ideal” and is looking for security and to discover “The One” with whom she can settle down. But this girl knows her worth and refuses to be toyed with or messed around in her depiction. I found it fascinating that I got two different messages from the performers who are playing the same role. The fact that Harris and Starkie have allowed the women to find their own character is credit to them as directors. Law’s girl is reminiscent of performers like Tamsin Outhwaite and Denise Van Outen. She presents a glamorous but tough cookie with the voice of an angel. Her voice soars on the really big notes and sends a shiver down the spine. This show highlights precisely how versatile a performer Law is, though she constantly proclaims that she is “not leading lady material” I beg to differ. She stuns in this show and it will be no surprise to those who believe in her talent and ability. This is not the comic relief that Law plays in many productions and I can only hope that talk of her possible retirement from performing is way too premature!
Both performers are stunning, and I cannot choose a favourite between them. There are aspects of both performances that I adore. Though it may prove expensive, I would thoroughly recommend audiences try to see both actresses. If you can only afford to see one, then do it. You won’t be disappointed whoever you see. This rare treat is a stunning show and you would be daft to miss it while its here.
Andy Evans – 08 November 2022
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