Rating: ****
Retired showgirl-cum-songstress, Miss Hope Springs (Ty Jeffries), is back in London after failing Vegas and LA, and suffering misfortune in France. Rounding up her last two shows, Recovering Showgirl and Miss Hope Springs… Je m’appelle Hope, this final installation of looks back at her ‘Ritz to pits’ journey.
Everything about Jeffries’ show smacks of drag cabaret; the audacious frocks, enormous wigs, inch long lashes, and diva demeanour. But what we actually get is much more than smutty innuendo and trashy numbers. Instead Miss Hope Springs offers a perfect dark comedy bolstered with some extraordinary song writing, taking the show far beyond simple camp.
Jeffries’ character is charmingly tragic but not without a wicked wit and amusing zest. Everything from her embittered bitching to her fiery audience interaction is inspired. But the key to Hope’s success as a persona is that Jeffries has created a more than believable and loveable character who’s stories and reminisces are as enjoyable as they are entrancing. He is also a top class performer who has honed Miss Hope into someone who is both heartbreaking and hilarious, who also commands the tiny performance space in the heart of the West End with bombastic agility.
But the real genius lies in Jeffries’ music. The pieces themselves are a collection of superb ballads and ditties reminiscent of the glory days of Dorris Day, Peggy Lee, and the like; an excellent anthology of catchy jazzy easy listening. Indeed, joined by Sam Glasson on drums and Nigel Thomas on bass, the standard of musical performance means that as cosy and confident they are in the basement of the Leicester Square Theatre, they could as easily be as comfortable and crowd-pleasing at Ronnie Scott’s renowned Soho club.
The lyrics themselves have enough pathos to stop Miss Hope as a character becoming mere spoof, especially with numbers like ‘Hearts Drawn in the Sand’ and ‘The Night is Young’, which are simply beautiful and moving. Yet as misery loves company, Jeffries mingles Miss Hope’s lows with some laugh out loud and jaunty numbers such as ‘I’m Bi’ and ‘Bagels’.
The only drawback is that the very essence of Hope’s story, a fading performer of a bygone golden era, means some of the jokes will only be got by those of a certain age or followers of glamorous nostalgia. But that doesn’t mean that Jeffries’ show is inaccessible as the bulk of the banter manages to resonate across the audience at almost all points.
A whimsical, wicked, and delightful evening with Miss Hope is the perfect winter remedy to warm your face with a gleeful smile.
Miss Hope Springs Sings her Songs plays at the Leicester Square Theatre, WC2H 7BX, until 10 February 2012. Tickets are £10 (concessions available). To book call 08448 733433 or visit www.leicestersquaretheatre.com.
Featured image: Ty Jeffries as Miss Hope Springs
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