Peacock Theatre, London – until 28 September 2024
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
There is a space between musical biopic and cabaret tribute act, and that is where A Night with Janis Joplin exists. The absolute powerhouse vocals of Mary Bridget Davies are the foundations, the walls and the roof of this show. Janis Joplin’s famously raw performance, soaked in booze, drugs, and heartbreak, is shown here in the style of a concert. A large band is alway present on stage, and she chats to us the audience about her early life and how she got into music. There are childhood photos, and paintings by Joplin herself that function as a backdrop, providing some context to the stories being told. This is an upbeat celebration of Joplin and her inspiration, and so the plot rather skirts round the sadder and darker elements of her short life.
Writer-director Randy Johnson’s production (which is endorsed by Joplin’s siblings), celebrates Joplin’s music and the blues singers she was inspired by, but goes little further to into the nitty gritty of her short lif. Etta James, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Bessie Smith all make an appearance played by a brilliant supporting cast, providing a well deserved pause for Davies. Kalisha Amaris, Georgia Bradshaw, Choolwe Laina Muntanga, and Danielle Steers are fantastic as the Joplinaire backing singers, and various blues big hitters, bringing some welcome variety in vocals.
The energetic and heartfelt embodiment of Janis Joplin by Mary Bridget Davies is to be thoroughly applauded. The music of Janis Joplin is such a draw with massive hits like “Stay With Me”, “Cry Baby” or “Piece of my Heart”, and the performances are so good that it almost doesn’t matter that it’s a bit light on the story front. Joplin died in the 1970s at the age of 27, and A Night with Janis Joplin offers a chance to experience the vocals live and come away with on a post gig high.
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