Dusty, Charing Cross Theatre, London WC2

2/5

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD had an affecting and unique vocal talent, a fantastic catalogue of music and an intriguing life story.

But Chris Cowey’s musical fails to capture this, instead offering a jumble of video, performance and holograms.

Dusty, played by Alison Arnopp, follows the singer from her early years through to the recording of 1969’s acclaimed Dusty in Memphis, charting her life with songs, dramatic interludes and archive footage.

This massive breadth of material gets a cursory treatment, hitting major points and songs but leaving no space to offer any comment on Springfield and the world she inhabited.

This is most evident in the portrayal of Springfield’s relationship with songwriter Norma Tanega (Sienna Sebek) — they meet, fall in love, have a relationship and break up all within the space of a 10 minutes or so.

While Sebek and Arnopp make the most of a duet version of I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten, the back story just isn’t there.

Springfield’s sexuality is also touched on in her secret passion for best friend Nancy.

But the lesbian-in-love-with-her-straight-friend trope is frustrating in that it allows little engagement with the difficulty of Springfield’s quandary.

The episodic nature of the plotting impacts on the political aspects of Springfield’s career and while the production touches on the moment in 1964 when Springfield was forced to leave South Africa after performing to an integrated crowd — something she insisted on doing — this only merits a line or two referencing her stance.

The scene segues into a New Year’s Eve party at which her manager is telling the story to amused partygoers and comes across as a flippant engagement with an important moment.

The script — clunky at best and simple exposition at worst — is generally well served by the cast, with Arnopp in particular doing what she can with the material.

But it’s an uphill battle.

Arnopp faces a challenge in often finding herself directly juxtaposed with recordings — she starts a number and a recording takes over. Her voice is strong in its own right but she certainly isn’t Dusty Springfield and the juxtapositions emphasise that.

Apart from Arnopp, Witney White’s lively portrayal of Martha Reeves is great, with her Martha and the Vandellas medley a high point.

But such stand-out moments are rare in a production which disappoints, given the fascinating nature of the subject.

Runs until November 21, box office: charingcrosstheatre.co.uk