4 STARS, March 20-24. Amanda Hodges applauds a terrific celebration of British showbiz stalwart Cilla Black's life
Back in 2014 Jeff Pope’s terrific TV drama chronicled the life and career of Cilla Black and three years on he’s now adapted this for the stage. The big question is whether, bereft of Sheridan Smith’s star turn, does it prove as memorable and the answer is a resounding yes, courtesy of Kara Lily Hayworth and a first-rate cast who bring Cilla’s engaging story exhilaratingly to life.
The beauty of Pope’s script is the way it charts Cilla’s burgeoning career whilst also examining the larger Merseybeat scene of the era too. Cilla had two number one hits plus several other big successes but you need a bit more than this to sustain a two hour plus show and by including other affiliated Mersey music of the time the blend works fantastically well.
Cilla’s on-off relationship with Bobby Willis (who later became her manager and husband) lies at the heart of the show, providing its emotional core. Willis, who adores Cilla White from the first moment he sees her performing in her native Liverpool, stands at her side through every twist and turn of her journey from hat-check girl at the Cavern to singing (and subsequent TV) star Cilla Black.
As Cilla, whose shyness often thwarted her instinctive desire to perform, Kara Lily Hayworth (who queued for hours to secure an open audition), is generally superb. Occasionally her acting needs a bit more nuance to convince but vocally she’s very powerful indeed, closing the first Act with a truly spine-tingling rendition of Cilla’s first number one Anyone Who Had a Heart.
Carl Au is on great form opposite her as the long-suffering Bobby who forsakes the potential of his own singing career in order to guide and support Cillas ambitions. Despite his affable personality he is never overshadowed by either her or her original manager Brian Epstein, the man of course responsible for launching the Beatles upon the world. Andrew Lancel has played the troubled Epstein before on stage and he’s pitch-perfect here, conveying both the man’s savvy business brain and his personal vulnerability as a man cloaking his homosexuality.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the production is the way it portrays the essence of the era with featured songs from both the Mamas and Papa and The Beatles appearing. Cilla (called Cyril by the sparky John Lennon) would sometimes sing with ‘her mates’ The Beatles when they were unknowns playing regular gigs at the Cavern and the effervescence of this time is captured beautifully even if the ‘audience-friendly’ numbers at the show’s finale seem a bit superfluous.
Like Cilla herself it's a show with a big heart and irresistible warmth, given extra musical kudos by the strong script and the sheer quality of the cast.
Cilla is at New Victoria Theatre, Woking from March 20-24
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