THEATRE REVIEW - Fringe SIRENS OF THE SILVER SCREEN 53two, Manchester

In a solo performance by Beth Burrows (directed by Mark Giesser), we are taken on a whistle-stop tour of the lives and music of three female Hollywood icons. Burrows not only sings these songs, but acts them too, almost as if she is reincarnating the divas themselves. She obviously has a great affinity with these three and her acting of the songs and the telling of their tragic lives is close to her own heart. In the first half of the production Burrows is Judy Garland. She enters as Dorothy in 'The Wizard Of Oz' and sings, of course, 'Over The Rainbow'. We then learn somethings about Judy's personal life and listen to her interpretations of 'The Trolley Song', and 'The Man That Got Away'. A costume change and she reappears as Audrey Hepburn, and again she sings songs made famous by her and we learn about her life too. Finishing with 'Moon River' there is a short interval. After which the format continues with out third and final 'siren', Marilyn Monroe. Again, dressed and acting like her (as much as possible), we go from 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend' to 'Bye Bye Birdie'. Burrows's speaking is honest and the information she imparts about the three make us realise how remarkably similar the three actually were, and how reliant on drugs and insecure they were too. But all of this is peppered with Burrow's own style of humour, softening the blows somewhat.

The production uses and relies heavily on archive footage of these three ladies which is projected against the side of the small screen Burrows uses to go behind for her costume changes. Sadly this is not optimal at all. First, the screen is too small for us to see it properly, the sound quality is not great, and moreover the ridges in the wood of the screen and the design of the screen are obvious on the projections and obfuscate and irritate our viewing pleasure. Why not simply project these films on the black curtain at the rear of the stage? 

There were times when Burrows was speaking or singing in an unlit area of the stage, and sound levels were poor too, when she dropped her voice, she was inaudible on the fourth row of the audience!

A very easy-to-watch performer with lovely crystal clear vocals. An entertaining evening.

Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu

on - 23.5.25