Review: SONGS FOR NOBODIES at Pumphouse, Takapuna

There isn’t much I am envious of in America. However,  the way that Americans embrace their performing arts stars is something I not only envy, but I am frustrated that New Zealanders apply restraint, thinking that ‘other’ countries have ‘better’. They don’t. We have world-class right here in Aotearoa and it needs to be fully acknowledged.

One of our world-class stars is Jackie Clarke. I was blessed to see her once again tonight. Each time I am part of her audience, she surprises, showcasing a talent so big that it is difficult to believe it is all contained within one person. 

Tadpole Productions present Joanna Murray-Smith’s Songs for Nobodies at The Pumphouse Takapuna. It is a high-wire act on the page; under Janice Finn’s skilful direction and with Jackie Clarke at the helm, it becomes a revelation; intimate, dazzling, and deeply human. 

There was not just one performer on that stage. There were ten distinctive, unique individuals wrapped in the body of one woman.

A masterclass in embodiment

Clarke doesn’t merely voice these women; she inhabits them. As the “nobodies” recount their life-altering brushes with the greats, Clarke transforms with posture, breath, facial architecture, and, even the temperature of her gaze. Each persona arrives fully lived-in. When the songs land, she becomes one with each number, singing not from her voice alone but with her whole body and expressive palette: shoulders carrying Piaf’s grit, hands drawing Callas’s phrasing in the air, a spine that lengthens into Garland’s show-must-go-on bravado.

Clarke is a super talent, but in the reincarnation of Billie Holiday she surpassed even herself. I was drawn in; I couldn’t help it. Time seemed to loosen around her phrasing, consonants softened, and the room held its breath as her body carried Holiday’s gravity and courage. It wasn’t imitation; it was visitation.

And then there was Maria Callas: Angelina Jolie may have earned accolades for stepping into Maria Callas, but watching Jackie Clarke inhabit Callas, I found myself thinking: "This is how it's done GirlfrAnd" (oh-yeah!)

Clarke’s genius lies in summoning these icons without slipping into mimicry. You never feel you’re watching an impersonation; you feel the song take possession.

The music’s beating heart: Penny Dodd

Music director and pianist Penny Dodd is the indispensable co-narrator. Her playing supports Clarke’s transformations with perfect nudges and rhythmic breath that anticipates each persona’s arrival. From cabaret smoke to jazz chiaroscuro to Bel Canto sheen, Dodd’s touch gives Clarke the perfect canvas. In the quietest moments, you can hear Dodd “listen”, letting silence speak as eloquently as sound.

Direction that trusts the audience

Janice Finn’s direction clears space for transformation, guiding the eye with crisp, virtually invisible transitions. A chair angled just so, a light shift at the breath before a note choices that serve story over spectacle.

The Pumphouse advantage

The Pumphouse’s intimacy collaborates beautifully with this piece. Acoustic warmth wraps the voice and piano; proximity sharpens the magic of each metamorphosis. You can feel the room lean forward as Clarke steps across a threshold and a new legend arrives.

A chorus of lives
What lingers is compassion. Ink-stained, smoke-tinged, lipstick-smudged stories remind us how music slips between the cracks of ordinary lives and makes them extraordinary. Clarke doesn’t just play five stars and their five “nobodies”; she gathers ten lives into a single, resonant chorus, each voice distinct, each heartbeat audible. All of ‘this’ while Dodd’s piano binds them into a seamless tapestry.

Verdict: A luminous, generous evening. Jackie Clarke becomes one with the music with the elements of voice, body, and soul in seamless accord; matched by Penny Dodd’s eloquent musicianship and Janice Finn’s lucid staging. If you can find a seat, take it, and meet ten unforgettable souls summoned by one remarkable artist.

Get tickets here: [PumpHouse — Songs for Nobodies tickets](https://nz.patronbase.com/_PumpHouse/Productions/SFN/Performances)

Performances at The PumpHouse Theatre, Takapuna:

  - Friday, October 10 — 7:30 pm

  - Saturday, October 11 — 7:30 pm

  - Sunday, October 12 — 4:00 pm (Matinee)

  - Tuesday, October 14 — 7:30 pm

  - Wednesday, October 15 — 7:30 pm

  - Thursday, October 16 — 7:30 pm

  - Friday, October 17 — 7:30 pm

  - Saturday, October 18 — 2:00 pm (Matinee) and 7:30 pm