5.05°C Peter Quilter’s play with music about the final months of Judy Garland’s life enjoyed major success in the West End and on Broadway a few years ago. This Mercury Theatre production captures perfectly the toxic cocktail of fame and loneliness that has destroyed so many gifted performers.
Garland is holed up in a London hotel room, preparing for a gruelling run of concerts at the Talk of the Town. The punishing schedule is designed to clear debts and keep her in the public eye – adored by fans, pursued by paparazzi. Within months, she would be dead at 47, and the world would mourn.
Portraying an icon at the end of her life is no easy task. Still adored yet deeply fragile, broke yet funny, addicted yet mesmerising – the contradictions are immense. Lisa Maxwell inhabits Garland completely, revealing layer upon layer of a woman desperate to step off the relentless carousel of fame. Her voice is at times harsh, at others heartbreakingly beautiful, mirroring the struggle to keep performing. The on-stage and off-stage tantrums initially amuse, before it becomes painfully clear there is no escape from the fairground ride. It is a superlative performance that breaks the heart.
She is matched by the excellent Gary Wilmot as pianist and loyal friend Anthony Chapman. Wilmot’s dry British wit creates a tangible connection with the “real” Judy. His portrayal avoids stereotype, instead showing with nuance what Garland meant to generations of closeted gay men.
Sam Attwater is equally compelling as fifth husband Mickey Deans – initially supportive, later complicit in fuelling her dependence on pills and alcohol to ensure she makes it on stage. The parallels with more recent tragedies are unmistakable. This powerful play feels essential viewing for anyone seduced by the lure of fame.
Both celebration and memorial, this is one of the Mercury’s most unforgettable productions – one that demands a single word: revival. Judy was not with us long enough, but the show now embarks on an extensive UK tour.
★★★★★
