“Salvi is undoubtedly a charismatic performer but her soprano doesn’t quite captivate”
Set in an imaginary mental asylum, “Mad Women In My Attic” is a collection of tunes from the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, Kander & Ebb, Maury Yeston, Jacques Brel; among others. It is indeed an impressive set list; ambitious and brave, two adjectives which also describe Monica Salvi, the London-based Italian singer who has put together this semi-autobiographical cabaret show.
The concept of the piece is revealed to the audience from the outset. After often being typecast in roles of crazy women, Salvi was inspired to develop a cabaret to celebrate all of the mad songs and characters she had in her repertoire. That is the starting point, from which she leads us into a fictionalised account of her alter ego; a woman who has exchanged the stage for padded walls, glamorous costumes for a white nightgown, and audiences for a bunch of inmates.
The show gets off to a promising start as she emerges seductively from beneath a grand piano. Seated at the piano, in white coat, is her “psychiatrist”; musical director Michael Ferreri. Insanely talented on the keys his role is understated, but his musical accompaniment often threatens to be the star of the show. I found my attention often drawn to the piano instead of the singer. Salvi is undoubtedly a charismatic performer but her soprano doesn’t quite captivate. She tries just a little too hard and there is a neurotic energy about her that betrays a chink in her confidence.
The running joke that we, the audience, are her fellow inmates runs thin and becomes tiresome especially during a couple of clunky moments of audience participation. But one has to admire her energy, and it is a terrific romp through some classic show tunes, highlights of which included ‘With One Look’ from “Sunset Boulevard” and her stand out rendition of Jacques Brel’s ‘La Valse à Mille Temps’.
Laced with dark humour (a timely night’s entertainment for Halloween), this show professes to be a celebration of the fine line between creativity and madness. On that level it fails, but it does succeed in celebrating some of the great composers and lyricists of our time. By the end of the evening the audience were clearly keen for her to return to the stage for an encore. Bizarrely though she greeted this warm reception with a cool refusal of a curtain call.
“Whelan Browne’s performance charts a course through pain and anger, vulnerability and strength that is both moving and utterly hilarious”
Christie Whelan Browne had the audience laughing and in the palm of her hand from the very first minute she walked down through the cabaret style tables in front of the stage. She is charming, self-deprecating and authentic as Britney, and drew us in to the extraordinary life of the little girl whose mother enrolled her in pageants and pushed her hard to get work on TV; the child who grew from a clean living Disney girl on the Mickey Mouse Club into a troubled teen, had issues with drink and drugs and then had to struggle to grow up and fight to get her children back.
This life, lived so much in the public eye, is laid out for us again, from the perspective of Britney herself. There is a sense of bewilderment at some of the things she has done and some of the things that have been done to her. There are bitchy moments, Christina Aguilera doesn’t come off too well, and beautifully funny airhead moments.
There is a strong confessional element to the evening as ‘Britney’ lays herself bare, not pulling the punches. The energy and truthfulness of Whelan Browne’s performance charts a course through pain and anger, vulnerability and strength that is both moving and utterly hilarious. All proving the point that growing up famous isn’t easy.
It’s a tour de force performance, well supported by Mathew Frank on piano. The theatre was full and there was a unanimous standing ovation. You may not be able to get a ticket, but do try. Whether you know or like Britney Spears is irrelevant, you would enjoy this even if you had never heard of her. It’s a pity that there are so few performances and I hope Christie Whelan Browne will return to do more.
