Theatre: Just Judy – A Whirlwind Tour Through Oz Star Judy’s Life
Having heard noise on the theatrical grapevine of an ambitious production about Belle idol Judy Garland, we took a trip out of town to find out more…
Writer/director Brad Clapson’s production Just Judy ran at South Hill Park Theatre and is rumoured to be reaching for the West End later this year.
The change in the audience’s attitude towards the show from pre-curtain to post first scene was tangible. The jovial vibe of a well-wishing crowd supporting a local production had vanished, replaced by an auditorium. of eyes transfixed on a something special.
Using the device of an old-school TV sofa interview with our protagonist, Judy (Heather Wilson), and primetime show host Mike Gable (Ashleigh Wells) took us on a journey through the ages.
As the conversation played out on stage we felt we were in a 1960s living room watching this world famous woman spill the beans on her extraordinary life during a live TV broadcast.
Anyone thinking Just Judy would simply be a run through classic tunes was served up a surprise. Old footage on big black and white screens, alongside revelations from Garland’s past, made this an eye-opening and impressive piece of work.
Old Judy, a hugely complex and beleaguered superstar who ended up reliant on booze and pills, watched through whisky eyes as younger versions of herself performed her famous numbers.
We learnt that Judy – born Frances Gumm – gave a career-catapulting performance at Clark Gable’s 37th birthday and that in one single year at her peak she shot 19 movies.
Far from a jolly jaunt through the Wizard Of Oz pin-up’s catalogue this was hard-hitting stuff, coupled with some outstanding vocal performances particularly from Sophie Spencer (1920s Judy) and Laura Thain (Older Judy).
The linchpin of the whole show is Gable, a Jekyll and Hyde character, who chats jovially with Judy during his show but then turns into a monster when off air. Wells excelled in this role.
It was in the behind the scenes moments, when the cameras stopped rolling that the “Pure Magic” Judy showed her darker side, revealing her dependency on drugs.
It was made quite clear that Judy’s yellow brick road was not always painted with rainbows – she was the victim of jibes about her size throughout her career and was effectively forced by studio bosses to work non-stop.
The show was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the icon’s death and it explored the vastly talented while undoubtedly complicated women’s career with expertly executed dialogue and spine-tingling musical performances.
Zing! Went The Strings To My Heart set a high bar, The Trolley Song got the audience jigging in their seats, and Get Happy was beautifully delivered while tinged with irony.
The last piece, You’ll Never Walk Alone, performed by all of the Judys while old footage rolled on the screen, was transfixing. This highly polished finale left most of the house in tears but still happy enough to give a standing ovation.
Who could ask for anything more? Simply a longer run, with a decent stint in The West End, and then Broadway, please. And thanks.
