The Songbook of Judy Garland at the Palace Theatre Review
The Songbook of
Judy Garland
Palace Theatre, Manchester
28-30 May 2015
www.atgtickets.com/palacetheatre
Reviewed by Catherine Dolan
I was thrilled to be asked to review this show on opening night (Thursday 28 May 2015) at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, as Judy Garland to me is the greatest Hollywood entertainer of all time.
My 15 year old granddaughter accompanied me on the night, and although she has absolutely no recollection of Judy Garland, she was happy to come along. However, we were hoping for the life story of Judy Garland to be portrayed on stage. This wasn’t the case but the show celebrates the life and career of the legendary singer and actress and recreates the songs and dances of the performer with her daughter, Lorna Luft, at the helm. Lorna, now in her sixties, and in fine voice, features strongly in a production that rattles through almost 30 famous numbers from Garland’s career. The cinematic opening introduces the cast, and the show then focuses on tunes from Garland’s film career, including songs from Me and My Gal, Meet Me In St Louis and Easter Parade.
Lorna was introduced after the cast sang and danced to many of Judy’s famous songs, followed by a touching film of the star singing a specially written song to a very young Lorna. Lorna quickly got the crowd singing along to a few of my favorite’s; – Swanee and Rock-a-Bye your baby with a Dixie Melody. Lorna also gave a few anecdotal reminiscences from her travels on tour with Judy, including a story regarding their stay at London’s Savoy hotel, during which Judy and Lorna played a mischievous trick on the patrons who had left their shoes out for cleaning.
I have to say that the cast, which includes celebrated West End performer Louise Dearman, X Factor, star Ray Quinn and dance group The Boyfriends were all superb. You really felt their emotion and sincerity when singing and dancing to the songs. Ray Quinn was absolutely fabulous with his dance moves and the slick choreography from Arlene Phillips along with the enthusiasm of the performers was very entertaining. The members of the cast who performed The Trolley Song, not only sang well they equally characterized their performance by acting out the lyrics – very funny to watch.
One of the highlights of the evening for me was when Lorna and Louise performed a duet that was made famous after Judy introduced a then little-known Barbara Streisand on her show in 1962. They sang a flowing medley of songs such as Get Happy, Happy Days and Hooray for Love.
The show ends on a somber tone, with all the performers appearing on stage together to stand before a screening of Judy’s performance of Over the Rainbow (which my granddaughter did know!): a very emotional and poignant moment, which reminded us that, above all, this show is a tribute to one woman’s singular talent.
The Palace Theatre is a great venue for any kind of production and the grand surroundings gave the evening a sense of occasion. It is one of the main theatres in Manchester, is situated on Oxford Street, is only a few minutes from Oxford Road Station and therefore easy to reach by public transport. For drivers, there is ample parking nearby; including some metered parking areas, which are free after 8pm. The staff were polite, friendly and very helpful. Unfortunately there were no programmes available.
The only slight negative about the evening were the Ladies toilets in the stalls area – they were less than impressive…
Even though the show was purely a showcase of singing and dancing with some stories from Lorna Luft, I would recommend it and the theatre to family and friends as it was a very entertaining show in lovely surroundings.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £12.90 to £38.90 (plus £4 transaction fee).
The Songbook of Judy Garland is at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until 30 May 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 3019.
Palace Theatre, 97 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 6FT | 0844 871 3019
