My love for the silky-smooth vocals and wholesome image of Miss Doris Day, whose 86th birthday it was this weekend, is well-known. Read my blog on the occasion of her birthday last year.
So it was by happy coincidence we went to see A Sentimental Journey - The Doris Day Story at the wonderful Wilton's Music Hall yesterday afternoon. A camp treat indeed!
Portraying the saintly Doris with spookily accurate aplomb was a lovely lady by the name of Sally Hughes, who had every vocal tic and sweet note off to a tee. This was not just a revue of Doris Day numbers, however, and we were treated to some startling insights into the life of Doris Kappelhoff.
For beneath the lip-gloss and pastels there is the shocking story of the teenager whose dancing career was ruined by a car crash, sang with big bands at fifteen, had an abusive husband (and a baby) by the age of seventeen and yet was catapulted to screen stardom with a virginal image that was never her own reality...
Always on the hunt for "a happy marriage", it seems that Miss Day never found one despite marrying five times!
The story is told partly in her own words, partly with the help of narration by her late son Terry (played brilliantly by Ian McLarnon), and the various beautiful songs from Miss Day's extensive repertoire serve to illustrate various emotional stages of her life. And what performances they were, too! Featuring only a tiny ensemble cast of five (with Elizabeth Elvin, Glyn Kerslake and Mark Halliday), the timing, choreography and vocals were all performed to perfection - Sentimental Journey, Que Sera Sera, At Last, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps, Love Me Or Leave Me, Deadwood Stage, Secret Love, Young At Heart, Glad To Be Unhappy and many more!
I am really pleased we made this show (yesterday was its last appearance at Wilton's), and the audience of elderly people (including Richard Briers!) and queens gave it a (well-deserved) rapturous ovation. Brilliant!
Have a happy Doris Day!
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