Review: END OF THE RAINBOW, King's Theatre, Glasgow, April 26 2016

End of the Rainbow opens with Judy Garland's 196 comeback to the London stage. Set for a six week run at The Talk Of The Town, this looks like a triumphant return for Garland.

As the play unfolds, we see that Garland is unable to function without pills. Begging her fiancé for Ritalin, her behaviour becomes more erratic and manic until he relents and gives her the tablets. Having been fed pills to get her to perform since the age of 13, Garland is unable to get onstage without them.

End of the Rainbow is not quite a musical, more like a play that happens to have music in it. Lisa Maxwell is phenomenal as Judy Garland and not only has the voice to pull off these songs but manages to capture her personality beautifully. Sam Attwater plays husband number 5, the unlikeable Mickey Deans. It would seem that Deans does not have her best interests at heart and is just concerned with getting her back on stage. Rounding off the trio of excellent performers is Gary Wilmont as pianist Anthony Chapman. He doesn't play the character as a gay stereotype and Chapman's genuine affection for Garland is very touching.

Beautifully told, this heartbreaking play is a wonderful tribute to Garland. Rather than just focusing on her tragic downfall, End of the Rainbow highlights Judy Garland's witty sense of humour, and extraordinary talent. Although you know how Garland's story ends, it doesn't make the end of this performance any easier. End of the Rainbow is one of the best performances I have seen in a long time.

End of the Rainbow runs at the King's Theatre until Saturday 30th April.

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