A starstudded night thanks to Jess's big voice

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

The Empire Theatre

Eden Court

A WEST End hit that spawned an Oscar nominated film, "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice", makes great play of its northern clubland setting.

Even as the audience were taking their seats, club compere Lou Boo (Duggie Brown) was doing his best to transform Eden Court into a downmarket variety club with a raffle and the world’s only female George Formby impersonator among the other acts you would not necessarily pay to see. The interval even had its own bingo game — which seemed to go on long enough for a real bingo night.

The slightly grubby setting established, the lights go up to reveal the main setting, the home of feisty Mari Hoff ("Coronation Street" star Beverley Callard), which she has neglected almost as much as she has neglected her wallflower daughter Little Voice (Jess Robinson).

Surrounded by characters who say little — Little Voice and her bashful would be suitor Billy ("X Factor" star Ray Quinn) and Mari’s best mate Sadie (Sally Plumb) — Callard is left to dominate the stage in what almost amounts to a series of monologues.

Not a role to be underplayed, Callard makes the most of the part with her unconventional boogie with Sadie to the sound of the Jackson 5 an early highlight, unexpected gymnastics and all.

Funny as she is, Callard’s Mari is never entirely sympathetic and it is hard to forget just how monstrous and selfish the sometimes childlike and desperate character can be.

With Joe McGann unavailable, Philip Andrew stepped into the role of would be showbiz agent Ray Say, finding the ruthlessness and greed under the happy going exterior that makes his bullying of Little Voice and his eventual scorching demolition of Mari all the easier to buy.

However, the night belongs to Robinson as Little Voice. The character’s chronic shyness means she has little opportunity to make her presence felt in the first part of the play, but when she finally puts on the spangle-covered dress to show us Little Voice’s act condensed into a fast moving continuous set-piece, she is worth the price of admission on her own. Capturing the vocal mannerisms of Bassey, Streisand, Piaf, Garland, Minelli and a host of other divas, Robinson’s deft body language is enough to convince us that she is Tina Turner before she even opens her mouth.

Her argument with Andrew’s Say, conducted by Little Voice purely in snatches of manically delivered snatches of song also makes good use of her talents.

The play comes to a rather muddled end with slightly redundant final scenes being played out in darkness and rather too liberal use of one of the effects, without wanting to give away too much of a spoiler. At 20 years old the play, directed by writer Jim Cartwright, is also starting to have a slightly dated feel — Mari’s excitement at having a new phone installed and Ray Say’s blinkered faith that Little Voice can achieve fame and fortune by starring in a tatty local club seem incongruous in this era of mobile phones and "X Factor".

Quibbles aside, Robinson’s brief burst as Little Voice lights up the Eden Court stage and will linger in the memory.

• "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" continues at Eden Court this evening and tomorrow.