Issy van Randwyck in Dazzling Divas at The Mill at Sonning. Picture: Andreas Lambis
Dazzling Divas continues at the Mill at Sonning until 29 July 2023.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
She is a Baroness and the daughter-in-law of the late Sir Peter Hall, but being in the satirical musical comedy trio Fascinating Aida for just five years from 1994 to 1999 is probably how we best know Issy van Randwyck despite her other impressive acting credits. It is this ‘Aida’ style of narrative and singing that harmoniously pairs her vocal and storytelling talents and brings us her one-woman show Dazzling Divas, directed by husband Edward Hall (also on guitar).
Embracing the lives and music of seven very individual female music legends is no mean feat in just under two hours. The transitions are seamless and van Randwyck paints a comprehensive mini-biography of each woman, selecting unique and memorable facts that give us a rounded overview. She skilfully never quite finishes most of the songs as she smoothly transitions from dialogue, into song, and back into dialogue, ensuring that there is no opportunity for interminable applause between musical numbers.
The artist has chosen women whose lives were cut short, those with a turbulent childhood or struggling with substance abuse, or experiencing other tragic incidents. She is not an impressionist, nor does she try to be, but she uses her distinctive vocal gymnastics to give a heartfelt authenticity to their stories. From the tragic childhood of jazz singer Billie Holiday and the rise of sex symbol Marilyn Monroe to the wild child of rock Janis Joplin and the big voice of Mama Cass, each of these music legends is treated with respect and admiration. She covers the country music of Patsy Cline who died in a plane crash at the age of 30, the sad story of Karen Carpenter whose death at 52 was escalated by anorexia and the well-loved Dusty Springfield whose stone can be found in a graveyard in neighbouring Henley-on-Thames.
A solitary mannequin gives a subtle nod to the featured divas and their place in history, sharing the stage with empty bottles, up-ended chairs and the four musicians (Hall: guitar, Corin Buckeridge: musical director/piano, Oz Dechaine: bass, Gerry Berkele: drums) who brilliantly accompany van Randwyck on this musical journey.
Julie Watterston
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