Perth Theatre

AS ONE-WOMAN shows go, Judy takes a lot of beating. It also takes stamina, vitality, style, vocal expertise, confidence and perfect characterisation in an all-in-one package that makes for the perfect entertainer.

Such a person is Lesley Mackie, who gave a towering performance in the title role when Terry Wale’s two-act musical play opened on Wednesday night in Perth Theatre. I thought she captured every possible nuance of the ultimately tragic persona that was Judy Garland – youthful eagerness, susceptibility and innocence, mid-life angst and the final tragic moments when all was lost.

The original run of this play began in 1984, with Lesley winning an Olivier Award in 1986. First performed with a cast of 13, the production has been repackaged and streamlined down to four, and despite countless changes of costume and numerous changes of scene it’s as smooth as could be.

Wale’s direction is straightforward but methodical and the stage design of Jessica Brettle is simple and effective, with subtle lighting adding sufficiently to the overall effect. The musical direction is also uncomplicated.

I thought Lesley came into her own in the second act, but that is not to say her performance in the first was ordinary. She certainly knows how to put over a song, and if the audience was encouraged to join in on occasion, the medley of memorable songs delivered in the course of the show made for a lot of sotto voce audience participation.

You Made Me LoveYou (Judy’s tribute to Clark Gable) was just one of the many hits, but the others ranged from the lively ForgetYour Troubles to the more relaxed More ThanYou Know, a 1929 hit from the pen of Vincent Youmans. Perhaps Lesley was at her most relaxed, perching on a stool, chatting away and generally interacting with her “audience”, which gave you the feeling that this was Judy Garland, live in Perth.

Lesley’s performance was boosted by the other three members of the cast, two employing a variety of roles with the other providing a smooth link between the various stages of Garland’s adventurous life.

In this, as Louella Parsons, Ann ScottJones injected the touch of humour a show like this needs. As Judy’s husbands, colleagues or friends, she had two excellent “opposite numbers” in Ian Grieve and Richard Conlon, with the former joining Lesley in an excellent Couple of Swells. A full cast seemed superfluous as they switched characters – which included Mickey Rooney, Louis B Mayer andVincent Minnelli – with accomplished ease.

This year would have been Judy’s 90th birthday (Lesley actually shares the same birth date as her) and it is fair to say, thanks to the excellent efforts of Lesley, her star still shines as bright as ever.

Judy runs until tomorrow