|
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|||
Preview by Paul Nelson
ELIZABETH
Mansfield brings her Portraits In Song (Edith Piaf and Bertolt Brecht)
to the Drill Hall 1 on March 8 at 8.30pm. She will be accompanied by
Russell Churney on piano.
Olivier Award nominee (1996, Best Actress in a Musical for Marie),
Elizabeth Mansfield draws this seemingly improbable pairing of Piaf and Brecht
together, connecting by contrast, in a full, dramatic evening interwoven with
marvelous song.
Piaf engages the heart; Brecht engages the mind. His songs, like her's, are
full of fantastic theatricality and drama. Unexpectedly, through the single
voice of Mansfield, two powerfully different world views emerge.
Piaf is presented in her own words, taken from her autobiography and through
her narrative songs. Her unusual, powerful voice, singing of love and loss,
hope and romance, captured the hearts of millions, and Portraits In Song
recaptures how extraordinary she became: Padam, Les Amants d'un Jour, Milord,
La Belle Histoire d'Amour', Hymme a l'Amour, Je ne Regrette Rien, Comme Moi,
La Vie en Rose.
Brecht's life overlapped the greater part of Edith Piaf's. He died in
1956, she in 1963. While she was singing of her own private passion and pain,
he was writing to change the world. One of the great dramatists of the 20th
century, he was also a great poet and songwriter.
His collaborations with major composers such as Dessau, Eisler and Weill produced
some of the most outstanding songs of the century. Portraits in Song
reminds us of his genius: Pirate Jenny, Barbarasong, Alabama Song, The
Ballad of Marie A, Song of the Tough Nut, Bilbao Song, The Ballad of Marie
Sanders, Mac the Knife, Surabaya Johnny, Cannon Song.
Future productions in this season at the Drill Hall include: MTL's brand
new version of The Marriage of Figaro, (May 11 - June 8), Ernesto Tomasini
in True or Falsetto The Secret History of the Castrati (April 3, 17),
Barb Jungr's The
Ballad of Norah's Ark (May 1, 10) and MTL's Cabaret and Screenings
season (May 13 - June 8).
Portraits In Song (Edith Piaf and Bertolt Brecht), Translated by Steve
Trafford, Performed by Elizabeth Mansfield, with Russell Churney, Presented
by Ensemble Productions in association with The Drill Hall at The Drill Hall
1 on March 8 at 8.30pm. Tickets 020 7307 5060.
RELATED LINKS: Click here for The Drill Hall website...
