Review of Dusty by Natalie Anglesey

Review of Dusty, The Dusty Springfield Musical, at The Lowry by Natalie Anglesey

Well-deserved standing ovations from a packed house full of Dusty fans and stars of Coronation Street greeted the curtain call of Dusty,The Dusty Springfield Musical at The Lowry. In particular the enthusiastic audience paid tribute to Katherine Kingsley in the title role who gave a superlative performance as the pop star gradually aging before our eyes as she descended into drink, drugs and the cancer that killed her.

Fans of Dusty's music will be delighted to know this new musical about her life features many of her pop hits, including I Only Want to Be with You, Son of a Preacher Man and You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. There are many others too but I suspect the audience would have preferred Katherine Kingsley to sing all of them. 

This excellent production draws on the memories of her close friend, manager and authorised biographer Vicki Wickham, her lifelong personal assistant Pat Rhodes, and friend and record company executive Tris Penna. Their combined memories, with additional research by BAFTA and Olivier-nominated Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Coronation Street), helped him to create this witty and emotionally charged script which I know was a labour of love.  

 Dusty is superbly directed by Olivier Award-winner Maria Friedman  (Merrily We Roll Along, Stepping Out) who is a singer herself. She kept the pace moving at speed through the many scene changes and I particularly loved her clever compilation of the various capital cities Dusty visited on tour. Although, if you want to be really picky, the first act was a trifle too long. 

This play chronicles how London born Mary O'Brien became Dusty Springfield and her career began in The Springfields,  with her brother Tom in the late 1950’s.  She returned to the UK to go solo and soon became known for her soulful voice and iconic look with the blonde beehive and thick, false lashes as she belted out hits which spanned four decades. There were dark times too until her manager introduced her to the Pet Shop Boys and the rest is history.

Refreshingly, this play with music, reveals the private person behind the pop image and tells stories which may surprise. Her deportation from South Africa hit the headlines because she refused to play to strictly segregated audiences and her personal problems with her sexuality and addictions became tabloid fodder.  Dusty was recently voted one of the most influential women of the last 100 years in a poll by BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme. Her 1969 masterpiece 'Dusty In Memphis' is considered one of the greatest albums of all time and Dusty has been inducted into both the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame. 

Putting all that in a musical was a real challenge and congratulations to all concerned with this first-rate production. Actor and comedian Rufus Hound ( The Wind in the Willows) who is always a joy plays Dusty’s manager Billings. Roberta Taylor  (The Bill, EastEnders) takes the role of Kay, Dusty’s mother, with whom she had a tempestuous relationship.But the evening belongs to Katherine Kingsley in the title role. You may recognise her from other musicals like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels but this role she made her own and is triumphant. You may, like me, need to take a hanky! 

Dusty The Musical is at The Lowry until Sat 28 July.  Thelowry.com