PIAF by Christine Bovill at Greenwich Theatre

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. Graham GreeneChristine threads her remarkable journey in the world of French Song with the life and works of Edith Piaf. No glamour. No gimmicks. No pretence. Nothing but a voice, singing of lifes triumphs and tragedies. PIAF, as much a play as it is a musical homage, is a moving theatrical homage to one of Frances most endearing icons; celebrating some of her best known songs, threaded with Piafs story, and Christines own remarkable journey in the world of chanson.Something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Sunday TimesWho was Edith Piaf? And how did she come to represent the spirit of Paris like no-one before or since? Her life is as well documented as her legendary voice a child of the Paris streets who rose, via a tragic life of drink, drugs and death at 48, to become the best-known chanteuse in America and throughout the world. She lived the passionate life of a sacre monstre, loving, laughing, crying, drinking, taking and giving to excess. There were no half-measures.Who is Christine Bovil? An award-winning songwriter in her own right, Bovill has toured throughout Europe and the Far East with her self-penned homage to the Little Sparrow, appearing on BBC Newsnight and on BBC Radio 4s series, Soul Music. During her Edinburgh Fringe sell-out run at the Famous Speigeltent, Bovill realised a lifelong dream when she shared the stage with Charles Dumont, great friend of Piaf and, most famously, composer of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. They performed several songs together to close the show. PIAF was awarded the Fringe laurels for Total Sell Out Show 2011 and 2012. It received 5 STAR reviews from some of the most respected publications (including The Scotsman).Running Time: 90 mins with an interval of 15 mins.