Tell Me On A Sunday

Aren’t I the lucky one?  What a unique experience it was for a NODA rep to be invited to watch three presentations of the same production.  With three young women taking the role of ‘the Girl’ in this one-woman show, it was understandable that your company didn’t want to favour just one with having a report, but, of course, many societies occasionally play with alternating casts, particularly children’s groupings in panto for example, and NODA cannot, as a rule, make multiple visits.  However, this has been an extraordinary 15 months and in the spirit of warmly supporting this brave return to the stage I was given a green light to see all three performances.  Yippee!  It was a proper treat, thank you HTC and NODA.  It’s not easy to decide how to write this report and I draw your attention to the disclaimer above.  Seeing the show on the first occasion obviously became “information in advance of the performance” and it could be inferred that what follows will be based on better understanding of what to look for and comparisons.   I have tried to avoid them.  This will, of necessity, be longer than usual despite my efforts to be brief.  

 

Tell Me On A Sunday is a perfect choice for a society in the current peri-pandemic climate.  Because it has a one woman cast the rehearsals could be conducted with easy compliance to the government’s guidelines. Its history and summary are succinctly captured in your programme, available only to those who knew it was an online version, but an understanding of the simple set you used is left to the observer.  I subsequently wondered if bigger theatres might house a changing set with different bed/sofa layouts to support the story.  Yours was a very resourceful exploitation of the space.  

 

It was a fine evening for opening night, despite the weather warnings, and the audience eagerly took their seats well before ‘curtain up’; all socially distanced with great care by the Minack helpers.  The set was restricted to the roundel with some audience members sitting on the main body of the stage (looked most uncomfortable!).  We saw a typical bedsit with a double bed flanked by table and chest, and a sofa with faux fur throw and table beside.  These two provided the majority of the acting areas with some movement upstage around a dining table and a shelf unit that hid props to be used later.  A coat rack held clothing that allowed for costume additions during the action and a blanket box up centre housed various duvets for the ‘scene changes’.  Tucked into the wings down right was a small table with painting materials and at centre stage stood an artist’s easel with a large colourful canvas.  The set was well dressed with a multitude of props: plants, fruit bowl, teapot and mugs, laptop, mobile phone, spectacles and framed photos.  The whole successfully gave a very lived-in appearance and it was only later that we realised how many would be put to practical use as they were utilised to highlight the lyrics of the songs.  The stage manager deserves a pat on the back for his care in the preset to ensure that everything was in the right place for each Emma (as the Girls chose to have slightly differing layouts I observed in my later visits.) 

To our right, hidden in their tent, the musicians started the overture and a rich full sound rang around the Minack - it felt exciting to be back with an all live show after such a long, long time.  There were six and they achieved a pleasingly rounded orchestral sound between them.  It became evident that the music provided a range of styles to challenge the vocal gymnastics of the ‘Emma’s, with tender ballads contrasting with the staccato and discordant recitative intervals.  (My apologies if that is not the correct term for the style of Let Me Finish!)  

Within the opening bars our heroine entered and busied herself at the easel.  Clearly she wasn’t adding paint to an already prepared work but this established her in her character’s hobby.  This prop was removed almost immediately and was not seen again until at the end (with the same painting - was changing it not possible?)  We could feel very safe as she started to sing in a strong and clear voice with good diction and a suitable balance with the band.  It surprised me to hear backing vocals, presumably giving the other two ‘Emma’s a chance to take part in all performances and I wondered if these lines were written into the music or added by the MD.  The sound effect of a doorbell, the first of a number of well-timed and appropriate sound effects, alerted us to the arrival home of the boyfriend whose presence we imagine as she berates him.  In the quieter It’s Not The End Of The World the action called for the stripping of the bed and packing of a bag whilst singing.  This was achieved swiftly using the presets and the bed changing became a repeated motif as she moved from home to home.  My OCD kicked in when duvets were thrown on the bed and the edges were not straight - perhaps it was this Girl’s chosen character to be less precise.  As we reached Sheldon Bloom I noted how well our young lady was moving, a very comfortable and natural staging of what was, after all, her own choreography.  Comic touches, via facial expression, vocal tone and body language were added as she engaged with a disembodied telephone voice, before a sharp change to You Made Me Think You Were In Love in which we saw the portrayal of truthful wild anger.  This dramatic seesawing of moods is what is essential to engage the audience’s interest in the character and if this show is not to become a straightforward concert of songs, despite its requirements for the artiste to change the set and her costumes.   During “I’m A Lady” (not its name) this Girl smoothly performed a well rehearsed costume change to a silk nightshirt in view of the audience without dropping a note.  The difficult Let’s Talk About You with its switches of time signature was performed confidently before another mood change to a pensive reflection as she led into an effective delivery of the well known title song to the delight of the crowd.  A lot of business with Christmas stockings and wrapped gifts, bottles and glasses was presented in an assured, unhurried way and it was at about this time I noticed that the lights were on, although with little effect in the still bright evening.  As the show neared its finale I began to feel that it had been written for a woman older than I was watching but the commitment to the performance could not be doubted.  In the last few moments the LEDs cast a pink glow over the bed, still with the married man’s red duvet.  Might it have been changed or even removed to return to the simplicity of her own first home?  Finally the huge range of Unexpected Song showed this young lady at her best.  To take this solo leading role at such a young age is a great accolade and will serve her well in the future.

The sun was hot as I took my seat for the matinee, the same view I’d had on Sunday, and I was glad I had a hat with me to ensure my brain stayed functional.  I knew what I was to see now and I was interested to note the minor alterations to the preset - one being the thoughtful last minute placement of a bottle of water should the performer need it, given the blazing sunshine.  

Emma arrived mid-overture and started painting.  The easel was angled upstage in a good decision, for the action was convincing as she added occasional brush strokes to her work.  Having not seen the picture, we had no need to discount that months had passed without a change to it when it reappeared at the end of the show.  The voice that joined the music was clear and melodic, with a great deal of expression behind the words.  As her mood skilfully changed from countering her so-called friend’s revelations through lambasting her errant lover to a touching resignation of the break up of their affair we recognised we were in the presence of an accomplished and talented actress with a deep understanding of the emotions behind the lyrics and who could play them, both vocally and physically.  The ability to forget yourself and the audience and to play the introspective emotions in character while singing is a capacity not all amateurs have.  It is easy to fall into ‘presenting’ a smile for the audience.  Emailing mum on the laptop looked authentic, using the full keyboard and not simply pit-pattering at the centre, and was accompanied by the sharing of a lot of humour through the adoption of derisive voices and comically cynical facial expressions.  As she left the stage we heard the effect of a busy airport incorporating a public announcement and a plane take-off.  This gave her time to change clothes as well as supporting the story by informing us that she was travelling to a new home.  She entered it with a suitcase, which soon was to play a part in the well performed choreography, and studied her environment in a believable way paying attention to the surroundings before making the bed (swiftly and tidily - good preset).  Sadly we learned that Sheldon was not the man for her during an entertaining SFX telephone call in which her characterisation was commendable.  As she reached It’s Not The End Of The World (If He’s Young) it became clear to me that this woman has to be in her mid-thirties - the photo of a college student who is ‘too young’ and the line about getting ‘his skates on and we could have children’ suggests someone who is older than him, and maybe nearing the end of her childbearing years; add that mum and dad have been married for 40 years… this casting was credible.  The deliberately slow rendition of I’m A Lady was very powerful and beautifully controlled and it was a knowing touch to have her put on the boyfriend’s shirt - all girls have done it!   The eponymous song showed a real depth and, with its restrained gesturing, was a joy to see.   The very busy Married Man into I’m Very You and its direction to play getting drunk (not easy) was beautifully done although for an instant I was worried that she was going to pour the drinks into glasses sitting on top of the laptop!  This sequence was another rollercoaster of emotions and vocal intonations and the sensitive piano accompaniment as the tempo slowed right down for her acceptance of the end was mesmerising.  It was still brilliant sunshine as the final strains of an arresting Unexpected Song drew the well earned applause so no artificial lighting had been needed at all.

As Emma took her position on stage I felt, by now on my third visit, familiar with this show and its storyline nuances.  Here was a trouper I knew to have a wealth of experience and an assured and tuneful voice.  Her painting at the easel was careful and realistic.  There seemed a slight imbalance with the band as she started to sing and a few of the words were lost initially.  However, she delivered the opening rebuke of her friend’s gossip with a strong sense of performance allowing her eyeline to follow the scandalmonger, and her lover as well moments later, as they roamed around in response to her tirade.  In the aftermath of the split she deftly packed her bag and tapped out her comedic email to mum before leaving the stage for the flight to La Boheme!  On her re-entry she was wearing the big hat I’ve mentioned; a fitting addition to her costume as she arrives at Sheldon’s home in sunny California, and so was able to incorporate it into her light-hearted interpretation of the choreography accompanying the number.  Her jump onto the somewhat soft bed in a dramatically showbiz finish for the audience was a little alarming - but she held her balance like a true gymnast!  During Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad we had a demonstration, with evident mockery, of what she thinks of the superficial Los Angeles lifestyle before once again recognising a failed relationship in a stirring You Made Me Think You Were In Love.   As she left she cast a genuinely sorrowful glance at what should have been her dream home.  This musical certainly is a seesaw of feelings demanding constant changes from elation to despair and back to be portrayed and Emma’s next home is with a toy-boy giving the performer the opportunity to switch her mood again.  Having boldly changed her outfit to black satin pyjamas she gently presented the lyrical Come Back With The Same Look In Your Eyes as a conversation with her mobile (not sure it was sensible to have her prop it against the headboard upstaging herself) that ended charmingly as she drew the duvet around her for sleep only to be woken by her friend’s doorbell ring.  Effortlessly she changed her clothes again and stripped the bed while continuing to sing steadily and then gave an honest amount of time to reading the goodbye note that is the impetus for Tell Me On A Sunday.  The poignancy of these lyrics was conveyed with the self-assurance of a seasoned performer.  She made good use of the many props, drawing our attention to the ‘I heart NY’ mug, before filling the children’s stockings, pouring a variety of coloured drinks and then making a rather sudden transition to drunk.  The thrust against the corner of the bed seemed a little coarse but must have been in keeping with this Emma’s choice of character.  In contrast Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known persuasively showed her softer side.  When she reached Dreams Never Run On Time a warming pink glow filled the stage and as she hit the money notes of Unexpected Song the audience enthusiastically showed their appreciation of this staging of a show the story of which rings bells with so many.  

I know that all your audiences have been given a treat whoever they saw in the role: different characters, yes, but all with enviable voices, and if the Girls were able to rest some nights one must feel for the band whose concentration to hold their lines in three different mark ups was laudable.

It has been a labour of love writing and editing this.  The reader must understand that many observations were true for all three performances and can be interchangeable, but in the interests of brevity I have tried to ensure I didn’t repeat myself by covering the same points over and over and by adding notes on the different areas - lighting, sound, stage management, choreography and direction, etc., into the body of each section rather than as a separate unit each time.  Each has been based on what I wrote at the time.  Nevertheless, I apologise for its length!  My heartfelt thanks to everyone connected with the production and for the invitation to join you.  I truly enjoyed watching it/them and the two and a half hour round trip to the glorious Minack was worth every minute!   Welcome back!

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