Hot off the heels of her American tour with Judy Garland‘s son, Joe Luft, and Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien, Debbie Wileman returns to Crazy Coqs to bring us an evening of fabulous songs from classic movies! From MGM starlets to Bond Girls to Cliff Richard! Thrill to the sounds of yesteryear at the pictures! With musical accompaniment from Chris Ash of Showstoppers! and Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond.
Review by Stephen Gilchrist
In a world in which performers care less about their family than their career, Debbie Wileman would and should be a superstar. Full disclosure. I am a fan and have seen miss Wildman on a number of occasions, but none better than her most recent gig at Crazy Coqs, the cabaret room at Brasserie Zedel in Piccadilly Circus. She become a social media singing sensation during the global pandemic, capturing world-wide attention as a modern-day Judy Garland phenomenon. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and less than month ago presented her show ‘From London with Love’ at with Billy Stritch on piano Birdland Jazz Club in New York. Yet for all that there is an authentic humility about her which is very audience appealing.
As I left the venue after a 90-minute-high energy performance I was reminded of ‘LV’, the character created by Jim Cartwright in ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice,’ in which a painfully shy, reclusive young woman copes with grief and an overbearing mother by mastering the exact musical impersonations of legendary divas. Except that Ms Wileman, as far as I can see is not painfully shy, reclusive or who has an overbearing mother (her parents, husband and daughter, Sadie were in attendance at Crazy Coqs). She does however, in a powerhouse of a voice probably not bettered west of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, provide frighteningly exact impersonations of stars of stage, screen and music, Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Julie Andrews among them.
In this latest gig, she was backed by composer and MD Christopher Ash on keys and her dad Nick Saloman who fronted the English rock band, The Bevis Frond, on guitar. The theme and title of the set was ‘Picturegoer,’ in which she wrapped her not inconsiderable tonsils around fourteen numbers from movies in pitch and note perfect, often performing as the original creator. Thus, the Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane song “The Boy Next Door” introduced in the film ‘Meet Me in St. Louis,’ Chris Friend’s “Hello Bluebird” from ‘I Could Go On Singing’ and “The Man That Got Away” (Harold Arlen/ Ira Gershwin) from ‘A Star is Born’ were performed as Judy Garland. One is almost tempted to say by Judy Garland, such is the artiste’s talent at mimicry. Ms Wileman’s take on Garland’s chest belting yet late career, smoky, huskier voice is her pièce de résistance, yet her personations of Julie Andres singing “Something Good” (Rodgers) from the ‘Sound of Music,’ and some amusing mimicry of Shirley Bassey belting out Diamonds are Forever (John Barry/Don Black) with Bassey’s usual flamboyantly theatrical bombast, were equally and eerily as good.
In an eclectic mix Anthony Newley was remembered with his “Sat’day Night Rock-A-Boogie” (Newley/ Henderson) from ‘Idle on Parade’ which was swung along nicely by Ash’s eight to the bar (though it could have been six to the bar!) and supported by some lively audience participation in the lyric repeats. Liza Minelli appeared before us in ‘As The World Goes Round,’ but my favourite number was the quieter number, Bacharach and David’s “Alfie” recorded by both Cilla Black and Dionne Warwick. She gave the lyric, without deliberate attempt to mimic those two great ladies, real meaning and reminded us of the brilliance of that song writing team.
I suspect Ms Wileman is a rocker at heart, inheriting the R&R genes from her dad! I thought this as she gave us “Spaceship to Mars” a rockabilly song recorded by American singer Gene Vincent in the early 1960s and written by Milton Subotsky and Norrie Paramor, featuring in a film long forgotten by all, save for us anoraks ‘It’s Trad, Dad’. Which brings me to Ms Wileman’s inter song introductions which included a story about Gene Vincent and his severely shattered leg which led to his signature stage stance and limp, her encounter with 40s child star Margaret O’Brien, and prize giveaways to audience members who correctly guessed some movie quotes she the threw out, all with endearing, unpretentious chatter. She presents as an ordinary family loving mum- as I suspect she is, but a suburban mum with the most enormous talent. Her love for the material she performs is contagious.
Debbie Wileman is an extraordinary and rare talent, and on this showing deserves, should she want it, a five-star career in the concert hall or in musical theatre. The audience loved her, and so did I.
