Review: THE ANGEL AND THE SPARROW at Segal Centre

Whether it's an expectation of the Segal Centre audience, or the artistic decisions of the various directors throughout the years, it has been said that "The Segal loves to bring in their star power". "The Angel and the Sparrow" certainly serves up plenty of star power with performances by the incomparable Louise Pitre and the impressive Carly Street, showcasing the friendship of Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich.

Portraying known figures onstage is an immense challenge. Thankfully, both Pitre and Street offered us charismatic and sentimental interpretations instead of imitations of these larger than life ladies. The Angel and the Sparrow gives us a bird's eye view into the lives of the two European superstars, beginning with how they first met in a public washroom. Along with the numerous musical cabaret scenes, Daniel Große Boymann and Thomas Kahry's play (adapted by Erin Shields) shows us the highs and lows of Dietrich and Piaf's complex friendship as well as their intense individual struggles.

To see Louise Pitre, Tony Award nominee and the "First Lady of Canadian musical theatre" onstage was a "welcome home" moment for Montreal audiences. Many of us remember her fondly as "our" Fantine from Montreal's bilingue production of Les Misérables in the early '90s. Back then, Pitre gave us a gut-wrenching and captivating performance, and it was a pleasure to see that thirty years later, the same fire burns just as brightly. Pitre, who is no stranger to the role of Edith Piaf, rose to the challenge of belting out her numbers beautifully yet soulfully; sometimes playful and other times roaring with raw emotion.

Carly Street embodied glamour as Marlene Dietrich, yet it was her deliciously feisty moments that added the much needed humour to the show. Street's German-American alto, both in singing and in speaking, was an enjoyable display of talent. Musical highlights were the duets La vie en rose, and Hymne à l'amour, as well as Piaf's iconic Non, je ne regrette rien.

Both leads were nicely complimented by Lucinda Davis and Joe Matheson, two versatile actors who played multiple supporting roles along our biographic journey. Ably directed by Broadway and West End's Gordon Greenberg and musically directed by Jonathan Monro, the onstage portrait was adequately completely by Claude Accolas (Lighting Design), Louise Bourret (Costume Design), and Martin Ferland (Set Design).

The curtain call was met with a near standing ovation by the mainly Baby Boomer crowd. Those not especially nostalgic about Piaf and Dietrich will enjoy the experience more as an acting master class than as an evening of light entertainment.

The Angel and the Sparrow continues through May 6 at the Segal Centre (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine Rd.) Tickets: $61; seniors $55; students $24.50. Call 514-739-7944 or visit segalcentre.org.

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