Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer: Ewen Moore
Director: Elizabeth Huskisson
“Sad Showbiz Story”
3 / 5
Film star Carol White – better known by many as the Battersea Bardot had a whirlwind career. She shot to fame during the swinging sixties with roles in Cathy Come Home and Poor Cow but as with many Hollywood starlets, the bright lights of success are also filled with loneliness and tragedy.
Growing up in Hammersmith, Carol White was always desperate to be a star. She quickly moved up the ladder of fame, collaborating with Ken Loach on a variety of TV shows in England, before moving out to America to try and break Hollywood. Alongside her prominent and successful career as an actress, she also hit the headlines for her relationships with other notable figures, as well as her alcoholism and substance abuse. In 1991, she was pronounced dead in Florida – often assumed to be a drug overdose, but also suggested it could have been liver disease from her alcohol addiction.
Writer Ewen Moore stumbled on a theatrical goldmine when unraveling the true story of White’s intriguing work and lifestyle. Her jam-packed career, tempestuous relationship with her lover Paul and sheer determination to rise to the top makes for a very juicy storyline. Director Elizabeth Huskisson does a great job of conveying both the heights of success and her saddening fall from grace – the show is full of highs and lows and the atmospheric production seamlessly showcases each aspect of White’s life. The lighting (Alex Forey) serves at multiple points with strong additions such as paparazzi flashes and ambulance arrivals, which really help to set the scene and immerse the audience into the show.
Anne Rabbitt is the sole performer within the production – mainly portraying Carol White but also occasionally briefly switching into her father, the press and other smaller side characters. The sheer volume of her role is to be commended, but vocally she isn’t the strongest, making some of the musical numbers she performs less impactful than they could be. Gabrielle Ball (musical director & pianist) and Annie Hodgson (cellist) are on stage throughout the production, performing each of the original songs live; both talented musicians who help bring the musical aspect of the show to life. The set design (Emily Louis Munt for Studio Emiloum) is straightforward and simple, allowing the music and storyline to take centre stage. One appreciated technique used is the various layering of curtains that Rabbitt pulls back and forward at different points in the show – showing a visual of her peeling back extra layers in her story.
This is ultimately a sad story about a talented artist who let fame get the better of her. By Moore and Huskisson adapting this into a musical rather than just a standalone play allows the showbiz aspect of the swinging sixties to really take hold and elevate the story itself.
Runs Until 23 September 2023
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