Andy Fawthrop
A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening
The Devizes Arts Festival continued last night with another one of those difficult-to-categorise items.…
“Gertrude Lawrence: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening” is the latest collaboration between actor and singer, Lucy Stevens and pianist Elizabeth Marcus. Previously the pair had done similar shows around Ethel Smyth, Kathleen Ferrier and Virginia Woolf.
Gertrude Lawrence was one of Britain’s brightest theatrical stars during the first half of the 20th century. She was widely known as a charismatic stage presence who excelled in sophisticated musical comedy, having built up her career through the poorer cousins of provincial rep theatre, variety and music hall turns from a very early age. Taking her “breaks” as they presented themselves, building on the support of her various lovers and husbands, and thriving on her theatrical liaisons, she emerged as a true star.
This two-part monologue, with musical interludes and accompaniment, told her story from her earliest days of South London poverty. By and large it used Lawrence’s own words, but the linkages and the songs brought it all very much alive. Lucy Stevens’ powerful, yet seemingly effortless, voice was the thing that gave this piece real life. Stepping back and forth between spoken word and snatches of song, the performance fizzed along with real energy. It was by turns funny, pathetic, surprising and largely good-natured. Whilst Lawrence’s character came across at times as vain, emotionally brittle and patronising, there was no doubting the woman’s talent, versatility and sheer hard work (twice she had to work flat out to clear her debts in both Britain and the USA)..
Her interactions with famous actors, performers, composers, songwriters and the like (“he wrote this one especially for me, darling”) were dropped into the monologue with gay abandon (Kurt Weil, Noel Coward, Rogers & Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin) and her transatlantic peregrinations mentioned almost casually. But equally, so were her tenuous relationships with her own mother and her daughter. The woman was obviously something of an enigma, but clearly dedicated full-time to her glossy career.
In sum, this was a spell-binding and consummate performance by Lucy Stevens. And, as accurately billed, “A lovely way to spend an evening”!
The Devizes Arts Festival continues at various venues around town until Saturday 17th June.
Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at http://www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk
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