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A little Piaf, a lot of confusionBy MARTY CLEAR© St. Petersburg Times published February 11, 2003 TAMPA -- Edith Piaf's life is the stuff of great drama. Abandoned by her mother, she was raised in a brothel, then triumphed over a series of tragedies to rise to international stardom before her early death. It's the stuff of great drama, but you'd never know that from Gorilla Theatre's Piaf: Flight of the Little Sparrow. Playwright Aubrey Hampton touches on key events from Piaf's life, but in a clumsy way that drains them of their effect. He seems content to merely relate those events factually, without probing Piaf's psyche. Piaf is essentially a cabaret show, dressed up with a few appurtenances. How much it succeeds as cabaret depends entirely on how much you appreciate Piaf herself. Piaf was among the first international performers to have a cult following, which she still has today. She's considered an inspirational icon by her fans; others find her quavering singing overwrought and melodramatic. Judy London, a longtime local chanteuse, captures Piaf's voice, style and musical essence, and has enough charisma of her own to captivate the Piaf lovers in the audience. Her portrayal avoids mere imitation, summoning Piaf's spirit and trademark vibrato as she recreates virtually all of the French singer's best-known songs, from dark and smoky ballads (La Vie en Rose) to a rousing sing-along (Milord). She's ably assisted here by pianist/accordionist Andrei Cheine, whose playing is consistently tasteful. Although London is known primarily as a singer, she does a fine job as an actor here too, and portrays Piaf with appropriate strength and world-weariness. But Hampton's writing sounds like an encyclopedia biography, never offering more than a cursory explanation of why and how this beleaguered woman became a legend. Making matters worse is a really odd and counterproductive dramatic structure. Besides Piaf, the only other speaking character is "Heckler." Heckler starts off the play by spelling out Piaf's name on a Ouija board, which somehow makes her appear, and then interrupts her narrative with questions. Carl Donovan does a good job playing Heckler, but exactly who this character is and what he's doing on stage are totally unclear. Patricia J. England's set is mostly a nicely done Toulouse-Lautrec-flavored Paris scene, along with some gorgeous antiques. But in one corner hangs a plain white sheet, behind which actors, for no apparent reason, mime a couple of Piaf's vignettes in silhouette. Worse yet, in Act 2, while London is singing Carousel, those actors come out from behind the sheet and walk in circles around her, carrying little wooden sticks with crepe paper on them. Truly bizarre. But the heart of this show is London's singing of Piaf songs, and its target audience is hardcore Piaf devotees. For that audience, the script and the production will be, at worst, minor distractions. REVIEW: Piaf: Flight of the Little Sparrow runs through Feb. 23 at Gorilla Theater, Tampa. Tickets are $20 and $25, with discounts for students and seniors. Call (813) 879-2914.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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