Wistful is the one word that probably best describes a series of songs about a love affair. The show is based on the 2007 album of the same name created by Jaymay, released in the UK 2007.
It takes a little while to realise that this is a one woman show in essence with the other cast members remaining mute except for the occasional harmony.
Sophie Gore plays Jamie the New Yorker living in the basement of a tenement whose life consists of music, art and books and occasional outings to the park and on to the subway.
Sophie is a delightful singer who interacts with the cast in a series of mimes while delivering the songs from the original album covering the various stages of her romance. The show is like watching a live but very gentle video and one of the features is how Sophie conveys her emotions with her eyes. A critic of the album likened the lyrics to being a female version of Woody Allen but apart from the New York connection I did not get that feeling. The songs are described as Dylan-esque but it was more like a softer version of Katie Melua.
The mimes consisted of the object of affection friends and total strangers or at least as I interpreted them. The music is for everyone who has ever been in love so I guess it may be the individual’s take on the lyrics and mime.
The boyfriend who is central to the story seems to spread himself among other women while Jamie seems to remain loyal if misguided.
It’s food for thought and a gentle show within a frenetic fringe.
Runs to 23rd August at 8.50pm