Songs for the Fallen is written by Sheridan Harbridge it is based on the life of Marie Duplessis who was a courtesan, party girl, liar and a legend. Marie led an extraordinary life, be it a short one as she died from Tuberculosis at the age of 23 on 3 February 1847. Marie did not have the best start in life she moved to Paris at fifteen, but rose from the gutter by entertaining a number of prominent and wealthy men. She loved the finer things in life and spent as much as she earned.
Sheridan plays Marie in a flawless performance. She is funny, energetic, moving and raunchy! Sheridan has the most amazing singing voice which just got stronger as the show went on. Ben Gerrard and Garth Holcombe played all the other characters in Marie's life. They too were fantastic, they sang, danced, kissed and played too many characters and accents to recall!
The play was centred around Marie's boudoir which was brilliantly dressed, with French flair. There were various props like a hobby horse and tricycle which added to the comedy and imagery of the production. I was going to say simplicity but this production was far from simple. Yes, some of the props were simple but the timing, staging and pace of the piece made it very complex. The music was also very intricate with Basil Hogios (Musical Director/ Composer) playing various instruments and occasionally accompanied by the actors.
The play has a great rawness about it, Marie constantly talks to the audience giving the evening a very intimate feel. She tells us that she is not going to talk in a French accent all night, and gives us the moral of the tale throughout the show, my favourite one was "don't masturbate to Radio Head". Yes, it is not all set in 1847 and they locate the theatre too by saying that the show is just 75 minutes, as there is only two hour parking around the Seymour Centre!
Congratulations to all those involved in this production, this could be one of my top picks for 2013.
