Review: AN EVENING WITHOUT KATE BUSH, Soho Theatre

Kate Bush was just 19 when she had her first hit in 1977 and went on to produce a catalogue of songs which are still admired today. In her show, superfan Sarah-Louise Young pays tribute not only to the iconic music but also to the star and her loyal supporters.

Even those who were around in her heyday would be pushed to say much about Bush, hidden as she was behind an eccentric facade of fairy dust and mysticism. She was the ultimate pop pixie, a mysterious elfin singer whose experimental approach inspired artists as diverse as the ethereal Tori Amos and post-industrial occultists Coil. Her songs, clothing and videos challenged modern conventions. She made history by being the first woman to top the charts with a song she had written - and that was before she invented the microphone headsets no modern diva would be seen dead on stage without.

Young has been around the cabaret block a few dozen times, and that's clear to see in her comic timing as well as her ease with getting audience members to join in with the singing, arm waving and joining her on stage. Her humour is infectious and precise: one minute you'll be smiling at an amusing anecdote, the next laughing up a lung as she duets with a pink Vileda mop.

The musical choices, including superhits like "Running Up That Hill", "Hounds Of Love", "Babushka", "Cloudbusting" and "This Woman's Work", are all given their own personal interpretations with Young changing from one outfit to another. Lesser-known numbers are also given an airing: "And Dream of Sheep" (about going to sleep in the water) opens the show while "James and the Cold Gun" is belted out with gusto.

Young can't quite match the musical range of her idol, but that doesn't take away from her own powerful voice. And, besides, any serious criticism in this area would be missing the point of the show. It isn't intended to be some kind of posh karaoke but a well-researched and very personal take on a musician whose works still resonate almost half a century later.

By carefully drawing the audience into engaging in new ways with the repertoire of this unique artist and the tales of Bush-loving farmers and Russian grandmothers, she does more than pay fan service. Instead, she encourages us to find our own connections with Bush and the songs before sending us into the night with the sound of "Wuthering Heights" in our ears: "Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home. Let me in your window..."

An Evening Without Kate Bush is at the Soho Theatre until 26 February

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