A big applause for ‘Little Voice’
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Lesley Barnard for Pemads at the Little Theatre
Hilarious and entertaining can’t even begin to describe how good the Pemads production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is from beginning to end, with its consistency of brilliant acting and plenty of humour and sarcasm.
The play, by British dramatist Jim Cartwright, tells the story of a shy, reclusive girl named Little Voice (Gemma Alicia Barnard) and her largerthan-life, out-of-control mother, Mari (Yolande Farrow).
Little Voice spends her time locked in her bedroom listening to her deceased father’s old record collection and perfecting astonishing impersonations of famous divas, including Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Dusty Springfield.
The humour used shows how it is possible to laugh one’s way through troubles. There are moments of intense drama, especially towards the end, but these do not take away the humour.
Director Lesley Barnard has a very strong cast which, although amateur, certainly knows what they are doing.
The ensemble’s acting is believable – I am totally convinced the characters they played are really who they are – it never for one moment felt like an “act”. And at some point, Farrow in particular made me feel like I was watching a television production with her acting skills.
Little Voice’s character felt at times as though it was over-exaggerated,but her singing made one soon forget about that.
Jamie-Lee Reynolds does not have one of the main roles but her character, Sadie May, was so enjoyable and her body language spoke such volumes that even when she was just sitting and not saying anything, she always brought about a laugh.
Other aspects deserve praise: Mari’s outfits throughout the play spoke to exactly who the character is – from her gown in the morning, to her tracksuit and her gorgeous mini dresses.
Well done to the costume department, and the set was also such a huge plus. The way the stage was set up made the play more believable.
Playing the role of Ray Say, Gareth Bain had me captivated with his British accent. In this century we would call Ray a hustler.
Bain was the perfect match for Farrow as their fling seemed so real.
The role of Billy, played by Timothy Collier, is very “cheesy” and sweet – he is that guy every mom would like their daughter to date. Collier was everything his character required him to be.
And then there was the club owner Mr Boo, such a “diva”. Although Bennie Gerber, who plays Mr Boo, only featured much later in the play, he added to the hilarity.
I have no regrets spending a night out watching The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
● The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is at 7.30pm each night until Saturday. Booking is at Computicket.