The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Grasmere Village Hall

Grasmere Players’ summer production, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright, is an experience not to be missed. Set in the 1960s, the story is constructed around the dysfunctional relationship between Mari, the sleazy, spiteful hard-drinking mother, played with fizzing energy by Sarah Waterhouse, and her quiet, shy teenage daughter, LV or Little Voice, in a uniquely talented performance by 16-year-old Sapphire Kieft. LV has been reduced to virtual silence by the tirades of her destructive, foul-mouthed mother, but finds her only voice imitating the singing stars on her precious collection of records, left by her late father. LV escapes into his world of music heaven in her bedroom above, singing along to the likes of Judy Garland, while downstairs, Mari’s frenetic lifestyle staggers along, dragging in its wake her monosyllabic neighbour, Sadie (Moira Rowlinson/Esther Potts) as stooge to Mari’s cutting wit. Mari’s new boyfriend appears in the shape of talent scout Ray Say, played with great versatility by Paul Davies who is every inch the Sixties’ club-scene entrepreneur, combining sweet-talking manipulation with a capacity for cold, pitiless scorn. His initial interest in the louche Mari rapidly fades as the strains of LV’s exceptional singing talent reach his ears and he senses fame and fortunes to be made. Ray introduces LV to agent and club compere, Mr Boo, the ‘Brucie’ of his time, skilfully caricatured by Trevor Eastes. After a first night flop, LV’s second club appearance is a musical tour-de-force as Sapphire Kieft’s LV sings her way steadily and surely through the sequence, pitch perfect. Meanwhile, LV’s home life is rescued from unremitting misery by her developing empathy with the bashful Billy, who similarly escaped the shortcomings of his life by creating a light show in his grandfather’s shed. However, this brittle happiness is threatened by the succession of destructive events which follow, finding their denouement in the eventual emotional reckoning. Yet the play’s gritty undercurrent leaves in its wake a lingering sweetness as LV’s beautiful voice and blossoming love survive all adversity, even the aura of acid malevolence created by Sarah Waterhouse’s storming Mari. Despite technical complexities, this ambitious play is a triumph for the cast, for director Hilary Stephenson and everyone concerned.

Performances on June 29; July 1/6/7/14, 8pm. Tickets from Barney’s Newsbox, parental advisory 15.

Jane Renouf