Get to know the stage and screen history of 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'

Francesca Mills is leading a much-anticipated revival of the hit musical play at the National Theatre.

Summary

• The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is returning to the National Theatre this December
• Jim Cartwright's play originally premiered there in 1992
• The show has played in the West End and on Broadway
• It was also turned into an Oscar-nominated movie

Forget your troubles, come on, get happy! This December sees the thrilling return of Jim Cartwright’s play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice to the National Theatre. The venue hosted the show’s premiere back in 1992 but this is its first reprise, and the production will feature Francesca Mills in the title role.

The story centres on a shy young woman who has a remarkable talent: she can sing just like her favourite artists, such as Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Shirley Bassey. The play has been performed in the West End and on Broadway, and adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie.

Ahead of your trip to the show at the National Theatre, learn all about the remarkable history of Little Voice.

Book The Rise and Fall of Little Voice tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

What is Little Voice about?

Our heroine is Laura Hoff aka LV (short for “Little Voice”), who lives with her mother Mari in Scarborough, Yorkshire. LV is a recluse, usually found hiding away in her bedroom, where she listens to records featuring musical greats and learns to impersonate their iconic voices. We come to understand that she is grieving her beloved father.

LV tentatively bonds with telephone engineer Billy, who raises homing pigeons. But it’s the gregarious Mari’s new love interest who changes their lives. She brings home down-on-his-luck talent agent Ray Say, and when Ray hears LV’s voice, he thinks she’s a potential goldmine. He sets up an audition at a local club, and finds a way around her crippling stage fright.

LV eventually manages to sing by imagining her father is in the club, and her performance is a massive success. Ray, Mari and club owner Mr Boo believe they have a great future together thanks to LV, although their star protests in vain that she only wanted to do a one-off show. However, in a dramatic climax, LV finds her own voice and stands up to her mother.

The theatre journey of Little Voice

Jim Cartwright’s play had its world premiere in the National Theatre’s Cottesloe space (now the Dorfman) in 1992. It starred Jane Horrocks as LV: Horrocks’s extraordinary real-life vocal talents and spot-on impressions had inspired Cartwright to create the piece for her. The original production also featured Alison Steadman, Pete Postlethwaite, Annette Badland, Adrian Hood, and George Raistrick, directed by Sam Mendes.

The hit play immediately got a West End run, playing at London’s Aldwych Theatre with the original cast. Little Voice also transferred to Broadway in 1994, starring Hynden Walch, Rondi Reed, George Innes, Karen Vaccaro, Ian Barford, and John Christopher Jones.

Little Voice has enjoyed numerous revivals over the years. Those include a return to the West End in 2009, led by X Factor star Diana Vickers, alongside Lesley Sharp, a run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange in 2004 starring Emma Lowndes and Denise Black, a UK tour in 2012 starring Jess Robinson, Beverley Callard and Ray Quinn, directed by Cartwright, and another tour in 2022 starring Christina Bianco and Shobna Gulati.

Little Voice on screen

In 1998, Little Voice was adapted into a movie, directed by Mark Herman. Horrocks reprised her extraordinary lead performance, and she was joined by an all-star British cast, including Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, and Ewan McGregor.

The film was nominated for several gongs, such as Best Supporting Actress for Blethyn at the Academy Awards, six awards at the Baftas, including Outstanding British Film, three Golden Globe Awards, with Caine winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

What music is in Little Voice?

LV shares her late father’s passion for great female artists from the mid 20th century. Her idols include Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, Gracie Fields, Billie Holiday, and Barbra Streisand: powerful divas who express themselves very differently to this shy girl.

That means part of the fun of seeing Little Voice is witnessing the astonishing transformation of LV into the likes of Garland or Bassey, and hearing their unmistakeable voices come out of her mouth. It’s a huge challenge, of course, for the lead of this show, but a fantastic opportunity to showcase their vocal and artistic range.

What can you expect from the new Little Voice?

This is the first time that the play will be performed at the National Theatre since that 1992 premiere, so it’s a big moment. Succeeding Horrocks in the all-important title role is the talented rising star Francesca Mills, whose work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Duchess of Malfi at Shakespeare’s Globe, The American Clock at the Old Vic, and Hamlet at the National Theatre, as well as Harlots, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Time Bandits, and Silent Witness on TV.

Mills was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, and has spoken articulately about the challenges she’s faced and her desire to exceed people’s expectations – as she already has done. She is really exciting casting for LV in this landmark production.

She will reunite with her Hamlet director Robert Hastie, who is also the National’s deputy artistic director. His impressive work includes the Olivier Award-winning musicals Standing at the Sky’s Edge and Operation Mincemeat, the latter now a smash on Broadway as well as in the West End.

The rest of the cast is yet to be announced, but this is a play with several plum parts – not least the loud-mouthed but desperately needy Mari, which will be a phenomenal showcase for an actress in Little Voice’s grand return.

Book The Rise and Fall of Little Voice tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Main photo credit: Francesca Mills (Photo by Phil Sharp). Inset: Jane Horrocks, Christina Bianco, Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine (Photos courtesy of the movie, Photo by Pamela Raith)