What makes for a good biopic?
Many a writer opts for a comprehensive overview of the subject’s life, with early events shaping the decisions or actions that same subject later becomes famous for. The approach has yielded some highly-rated results – “Ghandi” and “Oppenheimer” not least amongst them – but as those two films’ epic runtimes can attest, it can also make for an exhaustive (and potentially exhausting) experience.
“Piaf” – The Watermill Theatre’s latest show, a biography of France’s most famous singer written by Pam Gems – avoids this potential pitfall with a pacy and exuberant script. While it captures many of the singer’s key life events – her singing career, the murder of Louis Leplee (the man who discovered her), controversial performances for Nazi occupying forces, her many relationships, and the substance misuse issues which often dogged her – they arise in quick succession, giving the impression of someone whose life is accelerating out of control. It’s a brilliant choice that stops the story from ever becoming boring while simultaneously capturing what it must be like to suddenly become famous.
The action is broken up at intervals with many of the songs that Edith Piaf would become famous for, all of them performed live on stage by the cast – and the songs frequently follow the events that directly inspired them. Given that the singer’s material was often written with her life experiences in mind, it’s a fantastic decision – not only can you enjoy the songs, you also feel the joy and the pain that went into them. The great magic of a musical is that it affords characters the chance to express them in a way they never could with dialogue, and that magic is wielded to staggering effect here.
Yet it’s a colossal ask for an actor to deliver their own versions of songs which are so clearly tied to a particular singer – not only do you have to sing that song well, you also have to do a convincing impression of the singer. And it’s here that “Piaf” rises from a good show to an exceptional one, because in Audrey Brisson the theatre has one of the best actresses I’ve ever seen on stage or screen. She simply is Piaf – her singing, her physicality, her accent and her mannerisms all combine to make you believe it. Here is a dedication to the craft of acting which puts a great many big name actors to shame.
A stellar cast portray the people who featured heavily in Piaf’s life – her lovers, her agent and assistant, her friends (including Marlene Dietrich) and her backing musicians. Every one of them does a sterling job of fleshing out what could otherwise be supporting roles, their acting matched by their musical dexterity. A simple yet versatile approach to staging, accompanied by subtle but powerful lighting, rounds out a package that delivers on all fronts.
With all the punch, humour, talent and tragedy of the woman herself – and worth seeing for the quality of acting on display even if you aren’t familiar with the singer herself – “Piaf” may well be one of the best shows to ever grace a stage. This fully deserves a huge tour, so I would recommend catching it locally while you can.
“Piaf” runs from the 4th April to 17th May; tickets can be booked at https://www.watermill.org.uk . Photos are courtesy of Alex Brenner.
