Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Alison Kerr
Grande dame of the musical theatre world Elaine Paige brought her Farewell Tour to Glasgow on Wednesday; a concert that also celebrates her 50 years in showbusiness.
For the last decade of that half-century, the effervescent singer has presented a radio show, and it was obvious that many amongst the impressive turn-out at the Concert Hall were regular listeners with whom Paige has already established a cosy radio relationship and who long since took her to their hearts. For the rest of us, it felt a little like gate-crashing a family wedding - but quickly being made welcome.
This was an extremely personal concert, with Paige reminiscing between songs from across the decades of her showbiz life, and with photos and cine footage being beamed onto the back wall of the stage while she sang.
The songs may have been selected because they were the hits from her career but they were also extremely appropriate for the circumstances and that was played on to dramatic effect, notably with the opener - Paige's first hit, Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Accompanied just by her pianist, she spoke the lines "It won't be easy …" before, voice cracking on the word "change," singing the full song.
Later on, she performed I'm Still Here, from Follies, with new lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim specially for the occasion.
This was a show of two halves; Paige seemed to be pacing herself early on and saving the long notes and the power in her voice for such stand-outs as I Know Him So Well, a trio of Piaf songs and Memories.
The Curtain Falls, a Bobby Darin-associated song, proved a fitting and poignant final encore.
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