It occurred to me recently that
2016 marks the 30th year I have been going to Barbara Dickson’s live
concerts. In that time I have seen countless performances by Barbara, some of
them in the theatre, and a new boxed set from Gonzo Media celebrates her limited but very significant contribution to the theatre since 1974.
Although a little pricey at £50, the
limited edition set comes with an exclusive glossy brochure featuring an
introduction especially written by Barbara herself, and extracts from the
original theatre programmes for all the shows represented in this
collection. But the real icing on the
cake are the extensive liner notes by Barbara’s archivist Alan Clyde, who gives
the collection a real sense of historical significance with his insights on all
four productions.
Getting down to the nitty gritty
of the CDs themselves, they are all re-mastered in 24 bit by John Hughes. For a
none audiophile like me, I take it that this means that they have never sounded so
good! As to the contents, the opening disc
in the set presents Barbara’s first dalliance with the theatre from 1974
appearing for the very first time in digital form. John, Paul, George, Ringo
& Bert was also the first West End play by legendary dramatist Willy Russell
and centres on the fictional character of Bert (George Costigan) who acts as a Narrator as the four Beatles gather at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool in 1972
for a secret reunion gig. The original company boasted a host of young actors
all starting out in their careers who have since gone onto worldwide fame: Bernard
Hill (John Lennon), Trevor Eve (Paul McCartney) and future theatrical Knight Antony
Sher (Ringo Starr), not to mention of course the considerable presence of
Costigan, surely one of our best character actors. But as regards this CD,
although George Costigan gets a look in with a Willy Russell song, the bulk of
the album belongs to Barbara Dickson’s vocals as she steers a course through
the catalogue of Lennon & McCartney. The pairing of ‘In The Bleak
Midwinter’ and George Harrison’s ‘Here Comes The Sun’ has remained a staple of
Barbara’s concert repertoire to this day.
This recording is a time capsule of Barbara’s tremendous delivery of The
Beatles catalogue lending her beautiful vocals to some of the twentieth
century’s finest compositions. Highlights would have to be a searing 'Help' and a plaintive ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ to which
Barbara adds her customary folk inflected delivery. Long overdue on CD, and
even longer overdue a theatrical revival.
Next up comes the mighty Blood
Brothers. What can be said about Willy Russell’s musical masterpiece, that
hasn’t been echoed worldwide by critics and fans alike? I have been lucky to see
Barbara playing Mrs. Johnstone on several occasions and she is the real deal. She
gets to the heart of what Mrs. Johnstone is all about, giving her a dignity
despite the many hardships in Mrs. J’s life but also exploring the desperation
tinged with superstition that leads her to give away one of her twins. A stone
in place of her heart? I don’t think so. Mrs. Johnstone wants a loving home for
her children and this is her only way out in making sure they all have a mother
to love them. Russell’s score bristles with brilliant songs. George Costigan is
back as Mickey lamenting his ‘Long Sunday Afternoon’ whilst Andrew Schofield’s
narrator brings us a sense of doom observing the ‘Shoes Upon The Table’. But
again it is Barbara’s voice which long lingers on the recording. ‘Easy Terms’
and ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’ are now theatre staples but they are never heard
better than on this original cast album. The arrangements in this original 1983 recording are more folk led than the electrified scoring of the Bill Kenwright production which has been running since 1987, and this simplification of the arrangements allows the songs to fully breathe. Barbara’s haunting performance earned
her an Olivier Award. If Barbara’s contribution to British theatre is remembered
for one thing, it is likely to be as the original, and for many the definitive, Mrs.
Johnstone.
The third CD in this set is a show
that is perhaps least recognisable to the passing musical theatre fan, The 7
Ages Of Woman. Basically a production that is part theatre, part concert, it allowed Barbara to don various guises as
she acted out the seven stages of a life. Among the composers that Barbara
covers are Lennon & McCartney once more, Ewan MacColl, Randy Newman, Carole
King and Leiber & Stoller. Songs by Stephen Sondheim and Bertolt Brecht
never made it to the CD version – rather ironically given the title of the
boxed set! Barbara delivers a gorgeous acapella ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your
Face’ as well as a truly memorable ‘She’s Leaving Home’ to name but two. I
never saw this production but it would have been worth the price of admission
alone to see Barbara as Mrs. Lovatt from Sweeney Todd giving a warning of the ‘Worst
Pies In London’ (sadly not on this album).
Her performance in The 7 Ages Of
Woman won Barbara a Liverpool Echo
‘Best Actress In Theatre Award’ and this CD is a marvellous taster of an
eclectic show.
The final CD in the set is a
production I am rather more familiar with, and a show that earned Barbara the
second of her Olivier Awards – Spend Spend Spend. Composers Steve Brown
and Justin Greene delivered one of the great British musicals with Barbara
acting the part of the older Viv Nicholson who - upon her husband Keith winning £152,319 on the
pools in 1961 - vowed she would ‘spend spend spend’. And she did. Ending up penniless
but rather more wise for the experience. It is very much a cautionary tale of
being careful what you wish for, and the equally brilliant Rachel Leskovac brings out the feisty side
of the young Viv. Her duet with Barbara ‘Who’s Gonna Love Me?’ as young and
older Viv lament the death of her husband Keith in a car accident is one of the
highlights of both the show and the album. The score is impressive throughout
from the jaunty exuberance of the title track to the emotive lesson of ‘The
Scars Of Love’. A classy and thought provoking example of theatre writing at
its very best.
My thirty years following Miss
Dickson around concert halls and theatres have provided me with many memories
to cherish and this set reminds me of her Mrs. Johnstone and Viv Nicholson,
performances that will linger with me for a lifetime. Along the way it also
gives me a taste of celebrated performances I missed. I can’t think of a better way to
celebrate my devotion to one of the best vocalists that Britain has ever
produced. With only 1000 boxed sets produced, snap it up whilst you can.
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