Bernadette Robinson on Songs For Nobodies
"Several years ago, I caught a snippet of a one-woman theatre piece on a TV arts programme," writes Bernadette Robinson. "It turned out to be a play made of a series of monologues by Joanna Murray-Smith, directed by Simon Phillips. “I was so inspired by it that I audaciously approached both Simon, who I knew had seen me perform recently, and Joanna! I begged Jo to write me a one-woman play which involved singers from five entirely different musical worlds: Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday and Maria Callas. “Simon was then Artistic Director of the Melbourne Theatre Company and was excited by the idea. He commissioned Songs For Nobodies. “Jo came up with the brilliant idea of making each of the five separate stories about a different nobody. “Within each monologue the nobody’s life is changed in some way by their interaction with one of those five great singers. [caption id="attachment_283340" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Bernadette Robinson stars in Songs For Nobodies at Wilton's Music Hall (Image courtesy of Borkowski PR)[/caption] “Judy Garland appears in the first monologue when she visits the restroom in the Plaza Athénée on the night of her famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1961. Bea Appleton is the lavatory attendant who shares a moment with Judy. I wanted Judy Garland in the show because I have adored her since I was a child. I also wanted the best representation of the ‘showbiz’ genre. Also, I've been singing her songs forever. “When I was growing up, my mother played a lot of country music. I listened to the great Patsy Cline and fell in love with her glorious sound. She was such a great singer. For me she was the best of all female country singers. I knew I had to have her in the show. In the second monologue, Pearl Avalon is an usher at The Soldiers And Sailors Hall in Kansas City. She has dreams of becoming a singer herself and meets Patsy Cline in her dressing room. It turns out to be the night Patsy is killed in a plane crash. But before that tragic end Patsy gives Pearl a special gift. “Like most of the world I am overwhelmed with emotion when I hear and sing the songs of Edith Piaf. As Joanna writes in the play, ‘Piaf could somehow collect the hearts of any listeners into one diabolically beautiful grasp.’ In the third monologue, Edie Dellamotte, a self-deprecating librarian ‘from a small town just outside of Nottingham’, tells us an intriguing tale of how Piaf helped in her father’s escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in Alsace. The story is thrilling and sad. Just like the voice and songs of Piaf. [caption id="attachment_283342" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Bernadette Robinson stars in Songs For Nobodies at Wilton's Music Hall (Image courtesy of Borkowski PR)[/caption] “The most sublime blues singer for me is Billie Holiday. Impeccable phrasing and a sound like a plaintive horn. Billie is introduced to the fourth story by budding journalist Too Junior Jones, who is sent to interview Billie and who is desperate to make it big as a features writer for the New York Times. This is such a wonderful opportunity for me to pay homage to this brilliant singer and the harsh obstacles she had to face in her life. “Finally, I wanted to use my years of studying classical singing and the glorious repertoire of the world of opera in honouring the greatest diva of all, Maria Callas. Orla McDonagh is a 19-year-old Irish lass from the country. She lands on her feet when she secures a nannying job to the children of Ari Onassis on board his famous yacht, the Christina. It is the cruise where Callas and her husband arrive on board and the famous affair between Ari and Maria begins. Orla is both funny and wise and her story in a way ties all the ‘nobodies’ stories together. And for me to have a chance to sing Puccini’s Vissi d’arte, an aria Callas made her own, is a privilege and a joy. “In fact, performing Songs For Nobodies is exactly that. A privilege and a joy.”
Bernadette Robinson stars in Songs For Nobodies at Wilton's Music Hall (Image courtesy of Borkowski PR)[/caption] “Judy Garland appears in the first monologue when she visits the restroom in the Plaza Athénée on the night of her famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1961. Bea Appleton is the lavatory attendant who shares a moment with Judy. I wanted Judy Garland in the show because I have adored her since I was a child. I also wanted the best representation of the ‘showbiz’ genre. Also, I've been singing her songs forever. “When I was growing up, my mother played a lot of country music. I listened to the great Patsy Cline and fell in love with her glorious sound. She was such a great singer. For me she was the best of all female country singers. I knew I had to have her in the show. In the second monologue, Pearl Avalon is an usher at The Soldiers And Sailors Hall in Kansas City. She has dreams of becoming a singer herself and meets Patsy Cline in her dressing room. It turns out to be the night Patsy is killed in a plane crash. But before that tragic end Patsy gives Pearl a special gift. “Like most of the world I am overwhelmed with emotion when I hear and sing the songs of Edith Piaf. As Joanna writes in the play, ‘Piaf could somehow collect the hearts of any listeners into one diabolically beautiful grasp.’ In the third monologue, Edie Dellamotte, a self-deprecating librarian ‘from a small town just outside of Nottingham’, tells us an intriguing tale of how Piaf helped in her father’s escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in Alsace. The story is thrilling and sad. Just like the voice and songs of Piaf. [caption id="attachment_283342" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bernadette Robinson stars in Songs For Nobodies at Wilton's Music Hall (Image courtesy of Borkowski PR)[/caption] “The most sublime blues singer for me is Billie Holiday. Impeccable phrasing and a sound like a plaintive horn. Billie is introduced to the fourth story by budding journalist Too Junior Jones, who is sent to interview Billie and who is desperate to make it big as a features writer for the New York Times. This is such a wonderful opportunity for me to pay homage to this brilliant singer and the harsh obstacles she had to face in her life. “Finally, I wanted to use my years of studying classical singing and the glorious repertoire of the world of opera in honouring the greatest diva of all, Maria Callas. Orla McDonagh is a 19-year-old Irish lass from the country. She lands on her feet when she secures a nannying job to the children of Ari Onassis on board his famous yacht, the Christina. It is the cruise where Callas and her husband arrive on board and the famous affair between Ari and Maria begins. Orla is both funny and wise and her story in a way ties all the ‘nobodies’ stories together. And for me to have a chance to sing Puccini’s Vissi d’arte, an aria Callas made her own, is a privilege and a joy. “In fact, performing Songs For Nobodies is exactly that. A privilege and a joy.”