Her voice was unique both in its quality and its raw passion; her songs were some of the most famous and most loved of the twentieth century; her life was the stuff of legend.
Edith Gassion (Piaf - French for “sparrow” - was her stage name) was born in 1915 on a street in the then impoverished Belleville district of Paris. Two passing gendarmes helped in the delivery, one putting his cloak down on the pavement for her mother to lie on. Raised in a brothel, Piaf had no formal education and sang on street corners for money. She was spotted by the nightclub owner, Louis Leplee, who started her amazing climb from abject poverty to being one of the most celebrated singers in the world.
But the road to fame and riches was paved with drama and tragedy. Along the way she lost her only child at age three, fell victim to drug abuse problems, and married twice. The great love of her life, boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in a plane crash on his way to visit her.
When she died in 1963, Paris ground to a halt as thousands of fans jammed the streets to watch her funeral procession. The outpouring of grief for this most diminutive of stars (she was little over four and-a-half feet high) had never been seen before or since in France.
But it is the songs that we remember most, sung in that highly emotional vibrato that wrung every last drop of sentiment from the lyrics. Mon Dieu, Milord, La Vie En Rose, and, of course, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, have become classics of the popular song.
These, and others too, all feature in Pam Gems` riveting play. The demanding title role is played by the outstanding actress Sonia Beck who, having played Lady Macbeth for Fluellen 18 months ago, has just finished a run of Shirley Valentine at Cheltenham Everyman. The ever-popular Kevin Johns also features in a great line-up, which includes Ian Darlington-Roberts, Edward Llewellyn, Daniel Jones, Claire Novelli, Huw Richards, Charlotte Rogers and Robert Surman. The play is directed by Peter Richards.
FLUELLEN THEATRE COMPANY
in association with
THE GRAND THEATRE SWANSEA
Present
PIAF
By PAM GEMS
GRAND THEATRE
Singleton Street Swansea
TUESDAY 1st JUNE – SATURDAY 5th JUNE 7.30pm
Matinee Thursday 3rd JUNE 2.00pm
BOX OFFICE 01792 475715
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