'Piaf' at The Donmar

Tonight I was treated by Chris to a performance of 'Piaf' at The Donmar Warehouse. I've never seen this play before and I didn't see the film last year, so I'm coming to Edith Piaf afresh.

It opened with the middle-aged Piaf coming on stage to sing at her last concert, collapsing and being picked up and whirled about by the rest of the cast as they disrobe her and re-dress her as the teenage street-singer Piaf about to be 'discovered' and the play begins, a play with music. It's a strange production in a way, with lots of changing costumes on stage, lots of movement and pace, very picaresque with one short scene rapidly following another short scene - as a whirlwind tour of Piaf's life it's ok but I think I would've preferred something a bit more measured, affording the opportunity to explore aspects of her life in more depth.

And what an interesting life she had. I don't know much about Piaf but the play has made me want to find out more. The mystique and legend she and her friends grew around her, the pain of her life, addictions, lusts and love affairs and her death at the tragically young age of 47 after too much booze and drugs and car crashes...

In part, I suspect this is a play of it's time. The frequent use of the word 'fuck', the sex scenes on stage and the scenes of Piaf shooting up before performances cry late '70s to me, the 'let's shock' brigade which at the time probably did shock - or at least came across as raw and gritty. Tonight, as I watched, I wondered whether I was getting middle aged (I am) and conservative (I hope I'm not) or whether the gratuitous sex, swearing and on-stage costume changes were essential to the performance. I don't know, but I think I feel slightly manipulated into how I respond to the play.

Big cheers must go to Elena Roger who played Piaf, transformed from drug addled woman to teenager and back in the blink of an eye, strong voice ripping up Piaf songs (in French) and keeping all eyes on her. In the latter part of the play she was perpetually bent over and walked oddly through car-crash injuries and it was a relief (to me anyway) to see her for the applause standing up straight again. The raw emotion of her performance must be incredibly tiring, night after night, so well done to her.