Review: END OF THE RAINBOW, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, February 23 2016

Film and stage biopics surrounding the life of a celebrity hold particular intrigue for many people. They can be inherently risky due to the validity of the information being portrayed but ultimately, the general public want to gain an otherwise unforeseen insight into that person's life. Here with the legendary Judy Garland as the subject, she certainly provides a story worth telling. Sadly like most other biographies of its kind, End Of The Rainbow is essentially a tragedy which focuses on the final demise of Judy's health and relationships during what should have been her comeback in London in 1968.

David Shields' set depicts Judy's London hotel suite where she is staying whilst performing in her five-week show run at The Talk Of The Town (now the Hippodrome) - grand as you would expect, although Judy believes the room she has stayed in multiple times is getting smaller! The set is static for the duration with just a handful of scene break-outs to the performance venue during her shows. With a grand piano being a permanent fixture in the hotel room, this transfers well to the show numbers with the rest of the hotel furniture being of little distraction. The lighting design by David W Kidd provides contrasting visuals for the different settings and aside from a lack of face light/soft followspot during 'The Man Who Got Away' at the end of Act One, is superb.

Peter Quilter's book is brilliant with perfect equilibrium between comedy and drama. The text has you raucously laughing one moment and crying the next; a rollercoaster of emotions that the audience can experience alongside Judy's erratic behaviour. Daniel Buckroyd confidently directs the piece with real pace. Lisa Maxwell, as Judy, is a revelation; a pocket powerhouse who gives one of the most sensational female performances I've seen in a long time. It is amazing how such a potty mouthed diva as Judy can also be so endearing! She has a wicked sense of humour and Maxwell's comic timing emphasises this. However, Judy's reluctance to go on stage as time goes on is heartbreaking; only supported and understood by her friend and pianist Anthony (played by the wonderful Gary Wilmot). Her reliance on alcohol and drugs is originally repelled by her new fiancé Mickey Deans but when he realises the extent to which she needs them to perform, he begins to literally feed them to her. Sam Attwater is a great Mickey. It is never entirely clear what his intentions are with Judy; if he really did love her or was just pushing her for financial gain. This said, he is very strong, as is Wilmot. The three make a formidable team with Wilmot and Maxwell's chemistry particularly interesting to watch.

Maxwell's attention to detail with Judy's body language and vocal tendencies are exceptional. The vibrato and small inflections in her voice have been exercised to a fine art. Even though, Judy was clearly suffering on a personal level; her vocals were almost always solid, bar some slight slurring as time went on. Although subtle, Maxwell played this change expertly.

End Of The Rainbow plays at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Saturday 27th February and is currently touring until July 2016.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith