In 1974, 9-year-old Lena Zavaroni from the Isle of Bute arrived on people’s television screens. Although she was only a child, her huge voice captured the hearts of thousands, and it launched her into stardom. Over the course of her career, she shared dressing rooms with Lucille Ball, sang on the Tonight Show and performed at the White House for then American President, Gerard Ford. And this was all before she reached secondary school. LENA, written by BAFTA and Olivier Award winning playwright, Tim Whitnall, is an honest look at Lena Zavaroni’s child stardom and how it led to her mental decline, and ultimate death at only 35 years old.
The play begins almost at the end, as Lena is about to undergo a lobotomy to cure her depression. Guided by the charming narration of Jon Culshaw as Hughie Green, a famous television presenter from the 70’s, we are introduced to all the major key players in Lena’s life – parents Victor and Hilda, and manager Dorothy Solomon. Culshaw brings the audience back to the beginning, where, on this small Scottish island, Lena is discovered by a record producer. In a foreshadowing, the record producer compares Lena to the new Carol Carpenter or Judy Garland. Her parents, mystified by show business, sign a contract that whisks Lena away on a ferry with Solomon, whose greed greatly overshadows any care she might hold for Lena.
The cast all provide wonderful performances, especially Erin Armstrong who plays the leading role of Lena. Armstrong was able to capture Lena’s youth and naivety beautifully, and her vocal abilities are second to none. Although the latter stages in Lena’s life could, at times, fall into the melodramatic, Armstrong redeemed those moments in Lena’s final live performance, which was bewitching. Julie Coombs, who played Lena’s mother Hilda, was exceptional in her comedic timing and offered much needed lightness to show.
The entertainment industry is in the middle of a reckoning regarding the treatment of child stars. With bestselling memoirs such as Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died and films like Judy (about late film star Judy Garland), LENA is perfectly timed. Its important message is wrapped up in all the makings of a potential West End hit, and this timely play will delight and challenge its audiences, both young and old.
LENA plays at Assembly, the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre from the 3 to the 28 of August at 12.35.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/lena
Image courtesy of Benjamin Ealovega, provided to The Student as press material.
