Having never been to Millgate Arts Centre before, I was interested to see how the group would tackle the challenges of Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice . It is is a demanding play to stage not just dramatically but the doll’s house interior of the main set plus a nightclub set which flits between settings. The play is a kitchen sink drama with a dark heart a real poke at dysfunction and trauma. Saddleworth Players delivered a production of a high standard dramatically and musically and its production values were high and hit the target for the most part.
The show explores all its characters hopes and dreams, flaws, desperation and chaos all ingloriously colliding. The casting was especially strong. Each actor brought depth and nuance to their role, achieving a careful balance between authenticity and theatricality. Helen Rose showed stunning vulnerability as the titular Little Voice, portraying her journey from almost claustrophobic social disconnect and withdrawal to stunning singer. Helen has a solid track record of great performances; most recently playing Carole King in Beautiful the musical. She uses her ability as a great singer to imitate some of the greats. I was particularly impressed with her Garlandesque song bites. Her vocal impressions were not only technically impressive but emotionally charged – interpretations rather than imitations, the Gracie Fields song didn’t land as well as the rest but was still delivered with the passion to make it work. She sang and performed with real pathos behind every note and her believable acting and nervous persona was super and completely believable as she unwrapped throughout Act 2.
Jo Lord brought boundless energy and complexity to the role of Mari – loud, chaotic, lewd and at times grotesque, but never without a core of vulnerability. I think some ad-libbed expletives may have been added and the audience enjoyed this addition to the script. It made her destruction and deconstruct of her life choices affecting her life in Act 2 have more gravitas. When Ray Say shuns and verbally abuses her, you saw her physically shrink and their were audible gasps from a contemporary audience who hated hearing the misogynistic comments. Her performance was magnetic and Lord added lots of physicality to the part to make it bigger than I’ve seen it played before. She was the perfect foil for the greasy and social climbing impresario Ray Say ( Colin Smith) with a nauseating charm they were a good match as we watched him manipulate and coerce both Mari and LV. When he slapped LV after she refused to perform he had come full circle and we saw his desperation. This driver of desperation was the through line for all the actors in this production each had his own and it was tangible.
Nathan Simpson brought a nerdy and socially awkward but calm and gentleness to the character of phone engineer Billy, this created a calming balance of chaos downstairs and his and LV’s upstairs Romeo and Juliet balcony scenes through the window as he offered to show her his lights in his grandad’s shed. John Crebbin’s Mr Boo was charismatic and full of comic flair, in front of an impressive 1970’s silky draped traveller curtain, he held his own breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the audience. He would make a decent stand up or warm up man. His soupersex joke was very funny and the audience took a while to settle. A confident and competent performer who was completely at ease in the role and made it look a breeze. While Peter Dignan provided solid support as the Phone Man, he also doubled up as a maraca percussionist in the cabaret band. Alison Wood made an impression as Sadie, delivering quiet comedy with expert timing and although the foil for some fattist one liners from Mari, she gave me Miranda vibes. Although silent, she noticed it all and was there for LV when she was needed.
Special mention should also go to Jeremy Sleeth and Andy Hall, who doubled as Mr Boo’s club performers –resplendent in frilly, satin shirts adding colour and life to a setting reminiscent of the 1970’s ‘Wheel Tappers and Shunters Club’. The biggest challenge of the night was the switch between Boo’s night club front of stage by opening and closing the glitzy curtain revealing the world behind.
Scene changes were sometimes slowed by curtain logistics and covering the band’s instruments and moving the mic which briefly disrupted the flow, but were handled with as much care as the space allowed.
The decision to have the band playing live was excellent and dramatic for the first scene there but it did start to jar as the transitions were slow as the play progressed. I couldn’t see any solution to it but maybe stage crew could have done some of the striking. However, as they lifted and played for LV’s finale song which the audience loved.
Direction, by Phil McCarthy throughout was thoughtful and deliberate. Lots of physicality between Mari and Ray who weren’t afraid to tackle the lip locking frenzy and rolling around on the sofa.
The pace was mostly tight, with quieter moments given space to develop without losing dramatic momentum. Mari begging LV to stay at the end of the play in the dark was beautifully played out.
The staging made clever use of the intimate Millgate space. The house was claustrophobic and looked like an electrical hazard zone and unsurprisingly a fire hazard! The uncomfortableness of Mari’s poverty and desperation was there; minimal furnishing, empty fridge and lots and lots of empty alcohol bottles.
The design team – Chris Bannatyne, Frank Brown, John Lees, Mary Elliott, and Richard Wallis – did an admirable job creating these two distinct worlds. The set was particularly effective in the final act, where the difficulty of physically and emotionally dismantling Little Voice’s stage world was brought to life with poignancy and precision. The fire was very impressive and I felt quite alarmed for a few seconds.
In short, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Saddleworth Players was a heartfelt and well-executed production, marked by strong casting, thoughtful direction, and a clear understanding of the play by its director and actors. It was a rewarding night of theatre that combined humour and heartbreak with a lovely dose of nostalgic music from the greats performed with aplomb by a diva of a songstress.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Saddleworth Players is on until 12th April at Millgate Arts Centre, Delph.
Reviewer: Kathryn Gorton
On 11th April 2025
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