UK Theatre Network

Musical biopics have become fairly commonplace on the musical theatre circuit … but rarely with such a varied and beautifully vocalised back-catalogue as The Eva Cassidy Story.  Theatre Productions present the music of Eva Cassidy with the extraordinary vocal talent of Sarah Jane Buckley at Motherwell Theatre this week.

Eva Cassidy’s story came to the attention of the British public back in 1998 when Britain’s most popular radio presenter of the time, Terry Wogan, added her unique vocal talents to a playlist which reached millions of listeners. ‘Songbird’, the album produced after her untimely death in 1996, sold over 100,000 copies by late 2000 attaining the coveted ‘gold’ status.  All this before a black and white amateur recording of her performance of “Over the Rainbow” was played on Top of the Pops in 2001; sending her to the top of the charts all over again.  Eva Cassidy remains the only female solo artist to achieve three posthumous number one albums in the UK.

Sarah Jane Buckley steps into this role as if she was born to sing the songs of Eva Cassidy.  This is no mean feat.  The principal reason that Eva Cassidy was not a popular recording artist in her lifetime was that the range of her vocal talent was too vast!  Eva couldn’t be classified by the radio stations; blues, country, jazz, folk and easy listening standards all came naturally to her and, true to her principals, she couldn’t be labelled – always singing from her heart.  Sarah Jane Buckley seemed unphased by this vocal challenge, covering Eva Cassidy’s back-catalogue as though she had written the arrangements herself.  Songs like “Songbird”, “Over the Rainbow”, “Fields of Gold”, “Yesterday” and “True Colors” were just beautiful in their simplicity and vocal clarity while up-tempo numbers like “Take Me to the River” were a joy to hear.  The supporting cast, too, added significant vocal and musical talents into the mix delivering tight harmonies and live music from the stage.

As is the case with many musical biopics, though, the narrative failed to maintain the high standard of the music.  Dialogue and direction linking the musical numbers was a little contrived, even wooden at times.  This was unfortunate as there was a real story to tell here.  It was important to cover Eva’s uncomfortable relationship with her father, for example.  But the use of the starring cast in the roles of the children was a mistake as these scenes could only leave the audience unconvinced.  A simple solution would be to have young actors depicting the drama while the stars provide the vocals from the onstage band.  Audience participation in later scenes often fell flat.  However, the quality of the musical performance easily carries the audience through the story and the dialogue seemed happy to take a supporting role with the exception of some quite moving scenes in the second act as Eva’s illness takes hold.

The production was unremarkable save for the superb quality and balance of sound together with excellent musical direction and arrangements by Martin Hughes.  The stage seemed a little cluttered at times with the band kit in full view but this suited the recording studio scenes well.  Unfortunately, there were a couple of technical faux-pas which detracted from the unfolding drama in the second act.

This show really is a must see for any fan of Eva Cassidy and her music.  Sarah Jane Buckley’s voice is worth the ticket price alone and carries Eva Cassidy’s high standards with ease (while the drama plays second fiddle).

Listings Info:

The Eva Cassidy Story
Motherwell Theatre
Mon  6 – Wed 8 Feb
Mon – Wed eves 7.30pm

Tickets: £17.50 - £20
Box Office 01698 403120 (Bkg fee)
http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6249 (bkg fee)

Tour Dates:

Her big break came when she was cast as Val Walker, Sinbad’s fiancé, in Brookside, but she’s probably best remembered for playing Mike Baldwin’s long-suffering girlfriend, Penny King, in Coronation Street. Now, though, Pauline Fleming has returned to her stage roots to take on the role of Barbara Cassidy in Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story. She took time out from her hectic rehearsal schedule to tell Lucy Hammond about her latest role.

There can’t be many actresses who’d sound as chirpy as Pauline Fleming does at ten o’clock in the evening, having just completed an eleven hour day in rehearsals. With less than twenty-four hours to go before the curtain rises on the first performance of the latest nationwide tour of Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story, she conveys no sign of nerves at all.

‘Don’t be fooled by that,’ she laughs. ‘I do have massive butterflies, believe me. But, if I didn’t I wouldn’t trust myself. I never become complacent about my performance and anyone who does shouldn’t be up there on that stage.’

Although Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story has toured regularly since 2004, Pauline is brand new to the cast and, in taking over the role of Eva’s mother, she follows in the footsteps of performers including Rose Marie and Maureen Nolan. So, how did she prepare herself to play a character based upon a real person who is still alive?

‘There wasn’t a lot written about Barbara when I googled her and tried to do some internet research,’ she reveals. ‘However, Stephen Leatherland – our producer and director – is extremely passionate about this particular play and he has actually been over to America and met members of Eva’s family, so his insights were really interesting and very useful.’

Pauline is adamant that Stephen’s direction has been hugely instrumental in the way in which her portrayal of Barbara has developed.

‘On the first day of rehearsals, before we even got the play on the floor, we discussed all the family relationships and Barbara’s input into the family. We talked about how and why she left Germany to settle in America, her connection with Hugh Cassidy (her husband and Eva’s father), and Barbara’s part in introducing Eva to nature and encouraging her to develop a respect for the world around her and all the gorgeousness in it. That was absolutely fascinating and so invaluable.’

Indeed, Pauline genuinely feels that the show offers a truthful and heartfelt tribute to Eva Cassidy’s life and talents as an artist.

‘It’s extremely heart-rending from the perspective that Eva dies during the play, but it’s also a really lovely insight into the family dynamic and the bonding that went on between them,’ she says. ‘It’s actually a very uplifting piece of theatre, but do be prepared to have a little cry at the end.’

Since its first performance in 2004, the award-winning production has received rapturous receptions, garnered five-star reviews, and inspired cathartic outpourings of emotion. Journeying through Eva’s life from her idyllic childhood, to her studio work with boyfriend and mentor Chris Biondo, and finally to her tragically premature death at the age of only 33 years, the play poignantly captures the qualities of an artist with absolutely no interest in finding fame or fortune.

By the time of her death, in 1996, Eva was unknown outside her native Washington DC but, within four years, Terry Wogan had discovered and promoted her haunting interpretation of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ to the British public. A camcorder recording of her performing the song at the Blues Alley jazz club was shown on the BBC’s Top of The Pops 2 and, subsequently, sales of her album ‘Songbird’ outstripped top stars including Madonna, Craig David and Robbie Williams.

‘During her life, Eva didn’t really promote herself as a performer,’ says Pauline. ‘So, although she was an extremely confident and competent performer, she didn’t really achieve the recognition she so richly deserved until after she died.’

Pauline also has a great deal of respect and admiration for the actress who plays the leading role.

‘Sarah Jane Buckley plays Eva Cassidy absolutely beautifully and with such honesty. Because I am a Mum in real life, sometimes in the rehearsal room, playing out those mother and daughter scenes, I have found myself wondering how I would cope if I found myself in the same situation as Barbara. So, from that point of view, it’s very hard to detach myself from the story. But, anything that’s a challenge means you have to search deep into yourself to portray the situation properly.’

During her stint in Coronation Street, Pauline found herself being emotionally drawn into the storyline in a similar way.

‘I played Mike Baldwin’s last girlfriend and was privileged to be part of that massive storyline on Alzheimer's. I did a lot of research into the condition and worked very closely with the charity during the storyline and for a long time afterwards. It was a very moving experience, especially in the way that it touched the nation.’

A love of work and a burning desire to stretch herself as an actress has meant that Pauline is always on the lookout for the next challenge. Having already trained as an actress at drama school, she went back to university to study English Literature, as a mature student, and has since delivered many workshops based upon Shakespeare’s texts. She has also written her first comedy play, which she hopes will tour the country later this year.

‘Every job brings its own challenge but it also brings its own joy, too. I just love working, to be honest,’ she says.

Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story is touring nationally. See www.theatre-productions.com for more information.
 

Her posthumous success astonished the feverishly competitive world of pop music. Indeed, Eva Cassidy’s story is so extraordinary that it now forms the basis of a compelling musical play, starring Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley as the talented song stylist. She tells UK THEATRE NETWORK all about it.

Eva Cassidy’s success is more than she could ever have dreamed of – and, sadly, it’s a success she never lived to see. The wonderfully talented and spiritual song stylist died of skin cancer when she was in the prime of her life, at just 33 years old.

By the time of her death, in 1996, she was unknown outside her native Washington DC but, within four years, Terry Wogan had discovered and promoted her haunting interpretation of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ to the British public. A camcorder recording of Eva performing the song at the Blues Alley jazz club was shown on the BBC’s ‘Top of The Pops 2’ and, subsequently, sales of her album ‘Songbird’ outstripped top stars including Madonna, Craig David and Robbie Williams.

‘To play Eva Cassidy is quite simply the role of a lifetime,’ says Sarah Jane Buckley, who is starring in the award-winning ‘Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story’. Since its first performance, in 2004, the show has wowed audiences all over Europe and received standing ovations from sell-out audiences throughout the UK and Ireland. In taking on the role of Eva, Sarah Jane follows in the footsteps of some other high profile performers including Carmen Cusack, Nicole Faraday, Zoe Tyler and Faye Tozer.

‘It’s now become one of the most fabulous female roles in musical theatre,’ states Sarah Jane. ‘To sing 24 songs a night, in a lead role, is phenomenally rare and I don’t think it happens in many other shows. I’m on stage constantly and the acting element is as important as the singing. It’s incredibly challenging.’

When she discovered she’d won the role of Eva, Sarah Jane spent months studying Eva’s performance and techniques to ensure that she would bring authenticity to the part.

‘When she sang, Eva breathed in a different place from a normal singer so when she took a breath it kind of coincided with where she took a chord. That’s why her songs are so different, with that breathiness and very individual style of singing, which was amazing to have to copy. She had an incredible gift.’

Many will associate Sarah Jane with her role as crazy Kathy Barnes in ‘Hollyoaks’, but she actually began her career as a singer.

‘Singing has been my bread and butter for a long time,’ she says.

Indeed, she made her first television appearance, at the age of 17, singing on an ITV talent show, ‘Scramble’, hosted by Richard and Judy. She went on to train at The Guildford School of Acting and, upon graduating, entered the world of musical theatre to play roles in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ and ‘Elvis The Musical’.

Sarah Jane went on to form a cabaret duo called The Polka Dots, alongside fellow actress Jo Michaels, and for six years they travelled the world with comedians and artistes including The Chuckle Brothers and Joe Pasquale.

‘In the past, I’ve always sang as myself,’ says Sarah Jane. ‘This is the first time I’ve had to perform as someone as vocally iconic as Eva Cassidy, The thing is, because there’s very little footage of her on the internet, you don’t really see her visually.’

This sad, but uplifting musical play journeys her life – from her idyllic childhood growing up in a musical family, to her studio work with boyfriend and mentor Chris Biondo, to the exuberant live recordings of Blues Alley and, finally, to her tragically premature death.

‘Stephen Leatherland, the producer and director, has done a lot of research into her life and he went over to America to meet some of her family members. He has been very instrumental in directing me in how to behave like Eva. She was incredibly shy and actually preferred recording to performing in front of an audience.’

Sarah Jane admits that she was already a fan of Eva Cassidy’s music before she was even offered the role in ‘Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story’, and she explains that accepting the role was not a difficult choice at all.

‘There was no contest, really. To be offered the chance to play her was amazing and I was absolutely thrilled. It’s such a tough role and I finish each show absolutely exhausted because it’s such a heartbreaking story. It takes you on a very emotional journey, but there’s also lots of happiness to the show. I guess it’s a celebration of her music as well as a tribute to her life.’

FACTFILE

·         Eva is the only female artist to have 3 consecutive posthumous number one albums

·         As a performer, she probably did no more than 80-100 gigs – many of which had audiences of around only 30 people

·         She had an all-consuming love of nature, valuing all forms of life – be it animal or plant – as sacrosanct

·         Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK with over 70,000 new cases registered every year

·         In 2002, after the release of a television documentary, she had 5 albums in the Norwegian charts and at the same time enjoyed similar success in neighbouring Sweden. Her popularity continues to spread across Europe, Australia, Iceland and Canada.

·       Tour Details

·        January 2012

·         26^th                        Camberley Theatre

·         27^th&28^th           Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre

·         30^th                        Milton Keynes Theatre

·         31^st                          Swansea Grand Theatre

·        February 2012

·         1^st&2^nd                   Worcester Swan Theatre

·         3^rd&4^th                   Darlington Civic Theatre

·         6^th-8^th                    Motherwell Theatre

·         10^th                        Derby Assembly Rooms

·         11^th                        Wellingborough, The Castle Theatre

·         12^th                        Richmond Theatre

·         13^th                        Leamington Spa Centre

·         14^th                        York Grand Opera House

·         17^th                        Worthing Pavilion Theatre

·         18^th                        Crawley Hawth Theatre

·         22^nd&23^rd           Winchester Theatre Royal

·         24^th                        Exmouth Pavilion Theatre

·         25^th                        Chatham Central Theatre

·         28^th                        Edmonton Millfield Theatre

·         29^th                        Bradford St George’s Hall

·        March 2012

·         1^st                          Yeovil Octagon Theatre

·         2^nd&3^rd                   Mansfield Palace Theatre

·         4^th                         Glasgow Theatre Royal

·         5^th-7^th                    Shrewsbury Theatre Severn

·         8^th                         Rotherham Civic Theatre

·         11^th                        Manchester Opera House

·         13^th                        Chesham Elgiva Theatre

·         14^th-16^th                 Colchester Mercury Theatre

·         17^th                        Lowestoft Marina Theatre

·         18^th                        Scarborough Spa Theatre

It is a very sad fact that artists who tragically die young often secure legendary status and more acclaim than during their lifetime.  With the heartbreaking passing of the wonderfully talented  Amy Winehouse,  we could console ourselves that she had lived to achieve worldwide recognition winning 5 Grammys for her Back to Black album.  Sadly Eva Cassidy only received a local music award in Washington, before her untimely death at the tender age of 33 in 1996.  It was perhaps Eva’s unwillingness to compromise her talents and stick to one genre of music that prevented her from achieving success, as she had a voice that encompassed folk, gospel, country, jazz and blues.  In fact if it hadn’t been for Terry Wogan playing Over the Rainbow on his radio show four years later, the world probably would never have heard of her!

Eva’s poignant and moving story has been told in this show since 2004 and it has toured successfully around Europe since then.  It touches people’s emotions to hear the beautiful sound of her voice and a life cut tragically short before becoming famous.

The show takes us through her life story, from her family relationships, to her studio work with boyfriend and mentor Chris Biondo and recordings of the  show at the Blues Alley club, to her illness and eventual death.  It’s a very sad story, but the uplifting music prevents it from becoming maudlin and becomes a fitting tribute to an extraordinary talent.

Former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley plays Eva to perfection.  Sarah has an amazing voice herself and I found her performance of Songbird and Fields of Gold mesmerizing.  She has a line in the show ‘the word beautiful is just not big enough’ and that sums up the exquisiteness of her voice.

Accomplished West End actor Robert Gorse (The Lion King; Starlight Express & Five Guys Named Moe) plays larger-than-life legend, Chuck Brown.  Eva and Chuck sang together at the Blues Alley club and recorded the album The Other Side.

Maureen Nolan plays Eva’s mother and has a few opportunities to sing as part of the family harmony group and a touching solo when Eva’s  illness takes hold.  I did find her German/Irish accent very hard to understand though and felt her performance needed more projection to fill the theatre.

Most of the story takes place in front a huge screen with photographs projected, which lifted up to reveal the band and recording studio.  I found the scenes a bit disjointed  and it was hard to follow where you were in her life until a little way into the scene.  I wondered if the use of a narrator would help the transition?

If you’re a fan of Eva’s this show has 27 of her best loved songs brilliantly sung by Sarah’s Jane Buckley, who surely is a star in her own right!

The show tours to:
18th September Brighton Theatre Royal
20th September Cheltenham - Town Hall
21st September Horsham - Capital Theatre
22nd and 23rd September Stevenage - Gordon Craig Theatre,
25th September Ramsgate – Granville Theatre
Further dates can be found on:
www.theatre-productions.com

For further details of the Autumn programme at the Waterside, visit
www.ambassadortickets.com/aylesbury   (bkg fee)

Reviewed by:
Yvonne Delahaye
14.9.11

Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story

Interview with Sarah Jane Buckley

Best known for playing Crazy Cathy Barnes in Channel 4 soap, Hollyoaks and as the face of the Prince's Trust. Sarah Jane Buckley returns to the stage this Autumn in Theatre Productions seventh UK tour of Over the Rainbow, “a compelling award-winning musical telling the life story of the legendary Eva Cassidy. Following her life through dramatic scenes and stunning live renditions of her most infamous songs, Over the Rainbow is a haunting ode to one of music’s forgotten greats. This Award Winning Show has received plaudits from the Eva Cassidy Band, members of the Cassidy family and contains projection and original footage from Eva’s life.”  http://www.theatre-productions.com/

So how are you portraying the different stages of her life?

I played her last year, I listen to her music, it's a real challenge to be identical, as a singer to someone but you can always get away with adults playing kids, like in Blood Brothers. It's quite a challenging role, 25 odd songs, continuous music, lots of scenes, it's a big role let me tell you. There are 10 or so people, musicians and actors playing different parts. Maureen Nolan is playing my mum, Brian Fortuna from Strictly Come Dancing is playing my brother. When I played it last year, I took over from Zoe Tyler. We went from one end of the country to the other, from Aberdeen to the South Coast! Trying to get people into theatre, that's my passion.

How can you make a career out of theatre in the current financial climate?

Financially, it's a very tough career, a lot of my friends have dropped out. I do workshops for TV as well. If you're asking, should you do it? You shouldn't do it. If you have no choice in your soul, then you should do it. The highs are fabulous and the lows are tough. It has to be your passion, if you make a living out of it that doesn't really matter. You do it for the love of it.

When do you start rehearsals?

In about 2 weeks, they're very short, only 2 weeks. Last time I did a 6 week run, but the tours been going for 6 years. It's been very well received and very well attended. People love her music, they love Eva's beautiful voice, it's so instinctual. Unfortunately she was only really discovered posthumously. That makes it slightly easier to act as there's not much footage on the internet. She was incredibly shy, she didn't like performing.

How did you deal with the issue of making a musical about someone not interested in fame and fortune?

The directors always telling me to look down, a bit lady Diana-esque. No tits and teeth, here!

What songs will you be performing?

All the old favourites, Over The Rainbow, Times A Healer, a fantastic arrangement of Stormy Monday. She covered so many songs. She covered Imagine. She didn't really do any of her own original tunes, she only did a couple of her own songs. She died so young that she didn't really have time. She may have written some, but never released them, Golden Time I think one was called.

How was she discovered?

She used to go out gigging with a band, she did the local gigging circuit, she could have been an artist, she was a great artist and loved to paint, loved nature. It is referred to in the story. In the UK she was discovered by Terry Wogan. She was never married, but she had a relationship with Chris Biondo and even though they spilt up halfway through her life, he supported her all the way through her Chemotherapy till she died from Cancer, she was only 33.

Anything else you'd like to add?

The production's amazing, its fabulous theatre, although its heart wrenching. Please support live theatre, escape from the TV, escape from the DVDs, see real people doing acting. It's hard to imagine what theatres like if you haven't seen it, so come and support live theatre.  


Over the Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story opens on 3 September 2011 at St Helen's Theatre Royal. See below for further details. 

http://www.theatre-productions.com/shows/Over_The_Rainbow/dates/