Would you like to see an almost 70 year old woman recreate a show she made famous thirty odd years ago? Who wouldn’t?
Let’s be honest, Marti Webb could have come on stage at the St James theatre last night, wearing a bin bag and mimed her way through the CD and it would still have been amazing.
However she didn’t and she gave us all the show we have been dreaming of seeing again, for years.
Tell Me On A Sunday is the story of one woman’s search for love. Several times she thinks she has found ‘the one’, only to have the world crumble around her when it doesn’t work out. Anyone who has ever quarrelled with a partner or had a relationship come to an end will be able to find some connection to this piece. It is still so popular today, that Marti Webbs week long run at the St James Theatre has sold out and a 2 week transfer to the Duchess Theatre in the West End has gone on sale for next month.
Tell Me On A Sunday (written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black) has been tried in different ways, several times. Bernadette Peters gave us Song and Dance, a two act show with a dance piece in Act 1 and Tell Me On A Sunday in Act 2 but to me this should always have remained a one act show. I did a survey recently on westendwilma.com to find out people’s favourite recording of the show and unsurprisingly, Marti came up trumps with 52% of the votes (followed by Bernadette Peters and Denise Van Outen).
Act1 of Tell Me On A Sunday last night was a presentation of new and upcoming shows (Bonnie and Clyde, Urinetown and Once), choreographed by Chris Marney for Ballet Central, featuring soloists John O’Gara and Amelia Jackson. Songs were performed by Michael Colbourne & Tess Kadler. Performed against a black background and to backing tracks it was nice enough to watch (being only 30 minutes helped) but there was no real need for it. It made no sense to have it to open the show and personally I would have rather just watched a one act performance from Marti Webb.
Press night was a star studded affair including Claire Sweeney (who performed the show previously on tour), Anika Rice, Penny Smith and Sir Cameron Mackintosh himself!
Marti Webb didn’t fail to impress and I found myself transfixed in awe during her performance. If you are lucky enough to have tickets to see the show, you won’t be disappointed. I am rather smug to say I anticipated loving it and will be going along again on Sunday. If you haven’t already booked, don’t miss your chance to catch this show when it opens at the Duchess Theatre on February 18 (running until March 1). Click here for tickets.
Reviewed by West End Wilma
