REVIEW - The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is tender and touching - truly tremendous theatre!

On Monday, we were invited to The Lowry to see The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Our reviewer, Karen Ryder, really fell for this wonderful production and scored it full marks. Read the review below...


It’s award winning, comedic, dramatic, showbiz, and Northern!  What’s not to love?  The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice is back in its cultural home, with many a Northern cast member and a few adopted ones along the way.  This show has been creating a bit of a buzz amongst many of my family, friends, and colleagues - and for good reason!  We have all seen the Olivier award winning film by Bolton born Jim Cartwright, starring Rawtenstall actress Jane Horrocks and legendary film star Michael Caine.  It blew our minds when it came out, for it gave a Cinderella-eqsue story new life, modern and more adult themes and an absolutely cracking musical soundtrack from some of the all-time greats.  With a dream cast touring Little Voice across the country, the anticipation surrounding this production has been real and a topic of conversation for quite some time.

Little Voice is a shy, unassuming kind of girl who is happiest when she goes unnoticed, and it is abundantly clear why when you meet her overbearing mother - Mari Hoff.  Mari is never going to win any mother of the year awards for she is far happier indulging in her favourite past times of dodgy men, booze and partying than paying any attention to her daughter.  She is verbally abusive to LV, her only friend and neighbour Sadie, and people in general.  However, Mari thinks all her dreams have come true at once when she meets club owner Ray Say and starts dating him.  But Ray is far more interested in Mari’s daughter LV to cultivate some fame, fortune and finances for himself!  When he discovers LV’s talent for impersonating the great singers such as Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, he immediately insists that LV performs in his club. He has big plans for her, whether she likes it or not. 

But LV has not spent years locked away practising her skills for anyone but herself and as a terrified and timid talent, the thought of being thrust into the spotlight fills her with a fear beyond her worst nightmares.  LV finds solace and companionship in her musical idols, her impersonations are merely an extension of this and were never meant for anyone outside of her bedroom.  As Ray pushes both mother and daughter into new unchartered and unwanted paths, LV is left traumatised and Mari is left with the harsh reality that neglect can lead to disastrous consequences.  Often described as a Northern fairy-tale, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice delves into the highs and lows of small town life, self-esteem, family resentments and rivalries.  It illustrates how a little voice can very often make the most noise.  It will pull on your heartstrings, ensuring you leave with a sense of strength to stay true to who you are and follow your own voice.  After all, a little voice is still a voice.

So, who on earth do you get to play such an iconic character, especially when the role was specifically written for Jane Horrocks and she set the bar so incredibly high?  It has to be someone who can act, who can also sing to soul soaring levels, and also convincingly impersonate a million different singing icons without risking immediate judgement from the audience of “Ooh she doesn’t sound much like Judy now does she?”  When I saw that Christina Bianco had secured the role, I leapt with joy because just as this role was worked around the unique talents of Horrocks, it 100% could have been created for Bianco!  Having witnessed Bianco first hand in her one woman show at The Lowry a few years back, I have followed her insane talent on socials ever since and she has most definitely continued the success and legitimacy of this show.  Bianco (Funny Girl, Joseph, Rent) plays LV beautifully.

She has the most subtle moves, gestures and nuances to communicate without words which are so delicately fragile, her character is instantly believable.  A simple tilt of her head, a half-smile or a gentle nod speaks volumes about LV’s inner frozen fear and her inability to always articulate her feelings.  She initially teases us with small snippets of impersonations of Judy, Lulu and Shirley, setting the scene for what is to come, and when it comes it is so worth the wait.  Bianco finds freedom in her voice, just like LV, and her performance sections are out of this world.  It was like we had just been transported to a different show – an evening with showbiz legends!  Her voice and impersonations are simply outstanding and I found myself wanting more, but then the spoken play continued and I found myself wanting more of that, and so this loop continued.  I guess I just didn’t want any of it to end!  

Anything that Shobna Gulati is in, gives the show immediate credibility as far as I’m concerned.  Gulati (Coronation Street, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Dinnerladies) is perfectly atrocious and hilarious as Mari Hoff.  I adore how much she throws herself into this part and her comedic ability is just incredible.  Victoria Wood is my idol and watching Gulati last night, I felt her spirit live on with the details she delivered into everything she did and her dedication to putting the comedy and character first and foremost, abandoning any care for how she looked.  This was always at the heart of Woods performances too and Gulati took this show to the next level.  She bellowed onto the stage screaming, eye make up running down her face, holes in her leggings, ripped lace on her dressing gown, with a drunken stance and stagger as she battled to stay up right.  Her delivery of this brilliantly northern script was so delicious, the audience laughter and appreciation rang throughout the entire theatre.  She had everyone in the palm of her hand and commanded attention.  Gulati had her own way of speaking as Mari, with the misuse of words, made up words, extending words and the most theatrically funny use of swear words I have ever heard.  She blended Northern slang with her telephone voice and just made my inner geek fall in love with the genius of language and of Cartwright's brilliant script.      

Gulati’s scenes with Fiona Mulvaney (The Ferryman, Keeping Up Appearances, Silent Witness) as Sadie were brilliant.  Their partnership created so many detailed moments that just made the entire play burst into believable life, such as the mistiming of Sadie passing a drink every time Mari moved her hand out of the way, their scenes dancing to The Jacksons, and the bittersweet moments of Sadie being so happy to have a friend, only for it to be dashed in moments by a cutting insult from Mari.  Mulvaney had few actual lines to speak, most of which consisted of the repetition of the word “Okay,” and this was the genius of her part.  She created an entire quirky character through physical acting and had some of the best moments in the play.  I didn’t want to take my eyes off her because I knew I’d be missing some little gem of a nugget she was performing, and this was exactly the case.  Her face alone acted its socks off and whether she be eating green cornflakes, slowly throwing up some foamy white liquid, drinking tea with her sugar, or wondering around the stage with just one shoe, she was brilliantly barmy and bemusing!

Ian Kelsey (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Chicago) is the seedy Ray Say and shows us many sides to his shady character.  He is a sleezy boyfriend, a compassionate listener (or so we are led to believe), a light hearted jack the lad, an excitable agent, an abusive, dangerous and selfish bully, a vile and degrading tormentor, manipulative, and a broken and beaten shell.  Yet Kelsey threads all these elements convincingly into one person and not once does it feel fractured or stilted as we go from one aspect to the next.  He believably brings Cartwrights brilliant character writing to life, showing humans with all their complex personalities and flaws.  He also likes to goof around in character and has many a funny moment such as using his shoe as his ding dong!   

The cast is complete with wonderful supporting cast members, with Billy tenderly played by Akshay Gulati (The Family Way, East Is East, My Version Of Events).  He provides us with beautiful shade in comparison to the crazy characters surrounding him.  His performance is like an oasis of calm.  William Ilkley as Mr. Boo is great at portraying the typical brash and crass Northern night club owner and even has his “wayhey’s” in all the right places and James Robert Moore as the poor unsuspecting phone man gives some hilarious reactions to Mari’s unwanted advances.

Walking into the theatre, the house of Little Voice is immediately visible, and I enjoyed taking time soaking in all the details, from the pictures on the walls in LV’s bedroom, to the unwashed dishes in the kitchen and the basket of dirty laundry.  I can’t stress enough the attention to detail this play has, so huge congratulations to all the creative team.  From the moment Gulati entered the stage howling like a banshee, it became clear that this cast were microphone free and using the power and strength of their training to deliver tonight’s performance – so impressive!  The noise and chaos of the plays stronger characters is contrasted with a simple beauty against the gentle and honest blossoming friendship between LV and Billy, as they both learn to find their voice because they are actually being listened to for the first time ever.  Setting this at a window with a set of stairs outside gave it a Romeo & Juliet feel, making them the star-crossed lovers who just wanted to be free from their overbearing families.  I felt this was a nice touch.  There is a scene where the house catches fire from the reoccurring fusing lights, and as special effects work their magic through a combination of lights, sounds, smoke and atmosphere, the scene becomes quite intense and realistic.  This is heartbreakingly set against LV trapped in her room, blocking out the fear by rapidly singing different snippets of icons.  It is a moving scene.  The second half of the show is more dramatic, with venomous hate pouring out of Mari towards LV, from Ray towards Mari, and finally from LV towards Mari as her inner turmoil explodes as she discovers her voice upon realising her mother has destroyed her beloved records through spite and jealousy.  Moments later, LV is with Billy and singing “Over The Rainbow” in the most refined and delicate manner, creating a real moment.  

The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice is a truly endearing piece of theatre.  There are so many brilliant lines, I wish I could share them, but they were so plentiful and forthcoming that as I was trying to remember one, another one was already queuing up for my attention, so I decided to just be in the moment and appreciate the play in its entirety.   We are treated to some pure showbiz moments, utter heart wrenching and uncomfortable scenes where you seriously want to jump up and intervene, and the most tender and touching moments in sublime contrast.  This fusion of life provokes a genuine response from its audience because it reflects the tumultuous rollercoaster of emotions of our truth.  We may not have faced these particular situations presented in tonight’s show, but we instantly recognise the feelings they provoke and are able to mirror them against our own, very real stories.  As the play gifts us a life-affirming and uplifting message of over coming and rising above those who try to pull you down, use you, or provide you with anything less than the support and belief you have earned, it is no wonder that the audience seemed to be propelled into their standing ovation by a force bigger than choice.  It was a desire to support the underdog, because we have all felt that way in life.  It was a desire to acknowledge that bullies can be stood up to and it was a desire to celebrate the abundance of hard work, talent and joy that the cast and creatives of The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice brought to The Lowry stage this evening.  This show has reaffirmed that kindness, encouragement and belief can make a person soar.

WE SCORE THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE – 10/10


You can see this amazing production at The Lowry, Salford until Sat 11 June and with our exclusive offer of £15 tickets, you really don't want to miss this one!

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