Tell Me On A Sunday Review- 19/10/21

 

On Tuesday, I was invited to the opening night of Tell Me On A Sunday at The Lowry Theatre in Manchester. I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs (bar the title track) or really what the story was about, so it was exciting to watch it completely blind.

The show wasn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before, as it is a one-woman show. Jodie Prenger plays the role of Emma, an English woman living alone in New York as she experiences the trials and tribulations of love and dating. The story is told through a series of letters to her mum back at home, as well as through songs directed at characters, such as Emma’s multiple love interests, who are never seen by the audience. The venue was very intimate, which enabled the audience to really connect with Emma’s story and feel apart of it. The simplicity of the set and stage keeps all of the focus on the music and the narrative.

The nature of the show meant that all of the pressure was on Jodie to express to the audience exactly what was happening, as there was no dialogue or other characters for her to use to help tell the story. Tell Me On a Sunday is the perfect show for Jodie to showcase her wide range, being able to handle the more humorous songs such as “Sheldon Bloom” as well as the emotional ballads such as “It’s not the end of the world”. The audience have full understanding of what is happening, thanks to Jodie’s impressive annunciation.

Tell Me On A Sunday is a single act show as it’s only an hour long. This made for an interesting evening, as there was also a second part to the show, where Jodie came onstage as herself and took part in a Q&A as well as singing songs from some of her most well-known shows, such as Oliver. We were also treated to an appearance from Jodie Beth Meyer, who joined Jodie in singing some Andrew Lloyd Webber classics such as “Another suitcase in another hall” from Evita, which is a personal favourite of mine.

I was fortunate to be able to watch the show again on Saturday, this time on the front row! The show was equally as great and I was also lucky enough to get to meet Jodie after the show. She was absolutely lovely and made a great evening even more special.

Overall my first experience of a one woman show was very enjoyable! It was a style of theatre that I’ve never seen before but wouldn’t hesitate to watch again. I’d definitely recommend trying to get tickets for the remaining venues on the tour- it should not be missed!