Review by: Paul Towers, 26 January 2018
Being Julie Andrews by Lesley Emery
Performed by Lesley Emery, directed by Alison Dunne
Upstairs @ The Western, 26 & 27 January 2018
“emotional rollercoaster of a story.”
Last April we had Lesley Emery at Upstairs at The Western
with local author Alison Dunne’s Cloaks. This year Ms Emery has brought her own
autobiographical show, Being Julie Andrews. This is her story of growing up and
becoming an actress after a successful career as a solicitor (the legal type,
not the street walker).
Along the way she tells the poignant tale of her first love,
an unplanned pregnancy, the painful adoption of her daughter and finally
finding fulfilment as an actress and as second mother to her biological child.
Lesley Emery is a very talented actor and writer. Born and
bred in the West Midlands she brings a unique poignancy to the narrative with
her gift of fleshing out emotional details with just a few words, the twist of
a cloth or a simple look.
Using the songs and films of Julie Andrews as aspirational
and inspirational stepping stones in her life she finally casts off the fantasy
of leading the Von Trapp family to safety across the Pennines and embraces a
new aim, to be Julie Walters!
An appreciative audience for this first performance was
almost sold out. There is a second show tomorrow (Saturday) and there are a few
tickets left for this emotional rollercoaster of a story.
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