Terry Wills reviews the new Denise van Outen production.
Appearing in a one woman show must be difficult at the best of times, but when the actress in question has also co-written the story, it has to be considered a gamble. If audiences take to it, success. If not, back to the drawing board!
Denise van Outen had apparently been pondering on the notion of a one woman show, so together with co-writer Terry Ronald they spawned the idea of a modern day girl reminiscences over a period of time.
Van Outen plays Stephanie Canworth, a highly successful business women relaxing in a upmarket hotel suite after the successful launch of her latest new lingerie line. She concedes that times have changed. Her marriage has gone off the boil and when Sean, an old flame from years past, pops up on Facebook, it evokes memories leading to her responding with a series of text messages.
The show is a mixture of dialogue and music from the 80s and 90s.originally performed by the likes of the Thompson Twins, Sonia, Culture Club and Soft Cell. The language is rude, and periodically crude, but it’s delivered with a sense of fun that offsets any noticeable objections.
To her credit Denise van Outen delivers the lines in style, confirming that she’s also an accomplished, if not too well recognised singer, in addition to being a confident actress. The quality of the show, and of her performance, was duly acknowledged by a standing ovation as she took well deserved plaudits
Will Some Girl I Used to Know turn out to be a major success and make its way to the West End? It certainly has a hectic, crowded tour of provincial theatres – no less than eleven between January and March and provided they attract appreciative audiences, as they did at the Alex, it will see the co-writers’ hard work well justified.
Some Girl I Used to Know can be seen at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton from 20th to 22nd February.
