March 29 2011 at 08:20amBy Diane de Beer
PAGE BY PAGE WITH JUDY
PERFORMER: Judy Page
ACCOMPANIST: Clinton Zerf
VENUE: Old Mutual Theatre on the Square, Sandton
UNTIL: April 9
RATING: ****
It takes moxie, even a touch of militancy and buckets full of magic to pull it off – but Judy Page has all of that in abundance. Our Dame Judy is retiring from retirement, she says – and it’s about time.
Not that anyone would have noticed these past few years, because she’s been knocking them dead and picking up Naledi awards as if going out of style, with almost every musical part she’s played. But now she’s stepping out on her own – or perhaps leaping is a better description for this grande dame of cabaret.
Walking us through the pages of her life – and there’s 50 years on stage – it takes you back in time to the days of hanging out in Hillbrow, glitzing it up at Sun City and Top of the Carlton, or recording in the Joburg city centre. It’s all there, as she reminds us what hard work carving out a singing career takes.
It includes all the biggies in the business, like Taubie Kushlick, who schlepped her into the world of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht and provided the highlight of the night with a stunning rendition of Pirate Jenny. One forgets the breadth of a career and Page reminds us of her different highways, which stretched from Stephen Sondheim to Bob Dylan, Jerry Herman to Edith Piaf.
Page is clever enough to bring in the best when going solo and Zerf serves her well. His accompaniment is spot-on and the recordings used unnecessary with a pianist on hand. Perhaps she could have used the back-up with her entrance, as well as the Sun City number, to catch the extravaganza element of her work there – but the others can go.
She could also have trimmed more smartly. It’s tough to cut when you’re dealing with a life, but perhaps two hours plus is a bit much for a solo artist . Page herself talks about the realisation that she’s an interpreter. Those are also the songs which soar. Her Fiddler duet with Zerf was perfect and her Moondance version stole the show. There are enough magnificent and quiet moments and some that slipped by. Let them go. It would serve the end product well.
And yet, with someone of this stature, it’s fun to see what works and what doesn’t quite play out. Would she really be an artist if she weren’t still pushing the envelope?
The show is perhaps more suitable for an older audience simply in terms of familiarity but for the young ones with any interest in the arts, watch a master in action. They don’t come by often.
