Review: DANIELLE HOPE - LIFE FOR RENT, Live At Zedel

Part-cabaret, part-therapy, leading lady Danielle Hope brings her solo show Life for Rent to Live at Zédel. Since winning BBC's Over the Rainbow in 2010, she has entertained audiences as Dorothy Gale, Éponine Thénardier, Maria von Trapp and more in West End and touring productions.

But for her live show, Hope plays herself, bringing stories and songs that inspire her day to day - as she shared in a recent interview with BWW.

Life for Rent has a rather understated opening, where Hope simply walks on stage and shares Lana Del Rey's "Ride" - complete with the monologues written by Del Rey that bookend the song, with able MD Freddie Tapner providing atmospheric underscoring to the dialogue at the piano.

Hope intersperses her songs with nuggets of well-prepared and executed narrative. Some are stories of why songs are important to her, such as the first solo song she learned in high school - "Come To Your Senses" from Jonathon Larson's Tick, Tick...BOOM!.

Danielle entertains the audience with a story of being caught dancing in her pants in her dressing room in Dublin to Taylor Swift's "Holy Ground". The country-esque tonality of Hope's voice shines through in this particular number.

She also shows off her ability to sing in French with "Do not leave me (Ne me quitte pa)" - serendipitously appropriate given this was World Cup Final night - which is dedicated to her father. The sentiment of the song evidently means an immense amount to her.

Hope was joined by two special guests during the evening: Cleve September, from the UK cast of Hamilton, and her fellow Over the Rainbow competitor Jessica Daley, currently touring with An Officer and A Gentleman.

Hope and September perform the three emotionally charged "Hey" numbers from Next to Normal, interspersed throughout the show - this didn't make a huge amount of sense until she formally introduced him and what they were performing before their second duet.

Jessica and Danielle delight the audience with a duet version of Sara Bareilles's "When He Sees Me", as a reflection of their conversations about the perils of online dating.

Hope doesn't just tell stories and introduce songs with Life for Rent. She engages and challenges the attendees to reflect on their passions and their fears, and gives examples of processes she uses to deal with moments of anxiety in her life - even inviting us to take part in a mental exercise during the show, which is well received by the room.

The title of the show comes from the song made famous by Dido, which Hope includes in the set, delivering a truly sincere rendition. She explains she crafted the show to share songs that have shaped her, but also facilitate a discussion about the fragile, temporary and demanding nature of self-employment, particularly in the arts industry.

A stripped-back piano cover of Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman" goes down particularly well. She finishes with a rarely performed Disney song, only known to those who have visited the parks "A Kiss Goodnight", written by Richard Sherman for the theme parks' firework displays.

Hope proves that you do not need to rely on a programme of parts previously played to draw a crowd into a narrative in an intimate cabaret setting. She oozes warmth from the stage as she shares her heart and outlook on life with the audience.

Danielle Hope: Life For Rent was performed at Live at Zédel on 15 July

Read our recent interview with Danielle about Life For Rent

Photo Credit: Fane Productions

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