Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
A musically exquisite powerhouse star turn that, regrettably, plays it safe and treads too much familiar ground to truly excite audiences.Summary
Rating
Good
Seeing Debbie Wileman live as Judy Garland on the Sunday of Pride weekend felt good. For years, being a Judy Garland fan or a ‘Friend of Dorothy’ was a form of snide, homophobic innuendo. Now, mercifully, the LGTBQ+ community and everyone else can celebrate her talent without all that baggage. Her legacy is free to shine.
Wileman’s Judy: I’m Still Here asks us to imagine a world where Judy lived beyond 1969. Which artists would she have covered, and what hits might we be enjoying now? Did we miss, as with Ethel Merman, a surprise disco album? How about an 80s resurgence in the style of Sir Tom Jones? Could it have been Judy Garland joining dance-rock provocateurs The KLF in 1991 rather than Tammy Wynette? (Google it, kids.)
Instead of anything remotely risky, we get Sondheim, Disney, a Beatles medley, Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy’ and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back in Black’. All are, to be fair, stunningly performed. However, they do little to explore an exciting idea beyond the obvious. Off the top of my head, I can think of dozens of other artists’ work I’d love to hear performed with Garland’s brand of vulnerability: Kate Bush, Nick Cave, The Flaming Lips, Fleetwood Mac, Billie Eilish, Adele, and more. That’s without even going remotely leftfield. How about Pink Floyd, Radiohead, or… well… Leftfield. It’s no surprise that Wileman sticks to hits, mind you. She reinterprets Garland’s catalogue afresh, no mere tribute act, backed by an excellent band under the supervision of West End and Broadway stalwart Steve Orich. The show’s musical quality is undeniable. Wileman has played Carnegie Hall, she tells us. Twice.
Between songs, there is plenty of charming informal banter. Ms Wileman is good company and proves a great mimic. We get a few asides in Judy’s instantly recognisable voice, but there are too few in my book, as they’re all delivered with excellent off-the-cuff comic timing. We also meet a cast of entertainingly realised supporting characters. My favourite was a Welsh psychic who had rung Wileman to say that Amy Winehouse approved of the show from the ‘other side’. There was also humour to be had from our host’s short-sightedness, a pair of precious but misbehaving earrings, and Wileman’s rather fabulous sequinned trousers. All the cabaret-esque bonhomie made me regret the distancing effect of theatre stall seats and, frankly, a fancy cocktail or two, or three.
Wileman briefly shares her success story, too, which began when she began recording a song a day for friends during lockdown. Once they went viral, she caught the eye of bigwigs in the music industry, an album followed, and now we have the live shows. They certainly provide a Judy Garland fix if you’re a fan. There’s ‘The Boy Next Door’ and ‘The Trolley Song’ from Meet Me in St Louis, ‘I Could Go On Singing’ from the film of the same name, ‘A Foggy Day In London’, ‘The Man Who Got Away’, ‘Get Happy’, and, inevitably, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. It’s hard to describe the show as anything other than a success. The frustration is that rather than trot out familiar classics, Wileman is a gifted performer with the talent to delight us with something new. Maybe next time. I’ll certainly be in the queue for tickets.
Musical Director: Steve Orich
Producer: Scott Stander
Judy: I’m Still Here has finished its run at the Ambassadors Theatre.
Further information and to download the album, click here.
