“Get your f***king hands off me, I ain’t done nothing yet…”. The first line uttered by Jenna Russell playing Edith Piaf in Adam Penford’s gorgeous production. It’s like Piaf’s nod to Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer” and let me tell you, she is not kidding.
This is such a carefully choreographed whirlwind of a play. If you blink, you could easily miss some of the wonderful detail and you better be ready to go along for the ride! The play showcases Piaf’s beginnings singing on street corners, her rise in fame and fortune to her sad death at the age of 47. Throughout the show, we are gifted most of Piaf’s famous hits. The music is directed, arranged and orchestrated by Gareth Valentine, who plays a real baby grand on stage throughout the performance (a rarity to see in this day and age). A special mention must go to Valentine for his playing alone. He plays with such passion and grandeur throughout. It really brings the musical world of Piaf to life. Valentine is joined at times by members of the company who play a variety of instruments and make a wonderful sound while doing so. The songs have a variety of English and French lyrics to make them more accessible to an English language audience.
You could be watching a 30’s film noir with this play. The set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw along with the lighting design by Jack Knowles puts you right in the middle of the period. The set uses faded posters of Piaf throughout, metal stairs and walkways, neon signs and some period furniture (used in different ways to show different settings throughout the play). The play moves very quickly through Piaf’s life, from different times to settings, so be prepared for that. Adam Penford has brought Piaf to life in a new and exciting way. He has taken a piece that could easily be vulgar, humourless and quite bleak and injected it with new life. It has rekindled my love for Piaf and her music.The cast work wonderfully together. It was such a joy to see a group of people back together on stage (as Russell said in the programme “I’ve missed my tribe”). The cast are lead by Russell in a tour de force. Her Piaf is an East End belle; feisty, funny and strong. Her transition from the young to older Piaf is wonderful and incredibly moving. She manages to blend her voice with Piaf’s to create a hybrid almost. When Russell sings in English, she brings more of her beautiful tones to the songs. When she sings in French, we get full Piaf and she delivers. As her best friend Toine, we have Sally Ann Triplett. You can see that her and Russell have been friends for over 20 years in the relationship between them on stage. She is brilliant in the show bringing humour, vulnerability and sweetness to Toine. I must say I think she is slightly underused in the show given her wealth of credits and 
experience. I was very glad she got to sing and show off her voice. The whole cast works effortlessly together with each member getting moments to stand out and showcase their talents. Laura Pitt-Pulford is wonderful in all she does but I loved her Marlene Dietrich. Although I was unsure at first (when first seen, I didn’t think she resembled Dietrich), she quickly won me over with her smoky vocals and stature. Another standout for me was Garry Robson. His voice carries in that “classical actor” style, he brings gravitas to everything he does in the show with some very funny moments in there too.
experience. I was very glad she got to sing and show off her voice. The whole cast works effortlessly together with each member getting moments to stand out and showcase their talents. Laura Pitt-Pulford is wonderful in all she does but I loved her Marlene Dietrich. Although I was unsure at first (when first seen, I didn’t think she resembled Dietrich), she quickly won me over with her smoky vocals and stature. Another standout for me was Garry Robson. His voice carries in that “classical actor” style, he brings gravitas to everything he does in the show with some very funny moments in there too.It is wonderful to see Adam Penford bringing such vibrant work to Nottingham Playhouse and placing it firmly on the theatre map in an exciting new way. This theatre is a gem that deserves to be well known around the country. See Piaf while you can! You can see it at Nottingham Playhouse in person until July 17th or at Leeds Playhouse from July 23rd to August 7th.
Review by Nathan Elwick
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Livestream via Zoom | Price of Ticket: £25
