Writers: Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas
Director: Russell Lucas
Of all British singer-songwriters, Kate Bush is the most eclectic, the most unique, and possibly the most beloved. The performer who made her name at the age of 19 with Wuthering Heights has produced some of the most recognisable and memorable songs and performances, all of which are lovingly captured and reimagined by Sarah-Louise Young in this hour-long tribute act.
The famously reclusive “Ivy Queen” is, as the show’s title suggests, not in attendance downstairs at the Soho Theatre. At least, not in person; in spirit, she is very much in evidence. Young’s performances of songs from Bush’s back catalogue embodies the eccentric genius to a T.
But this is no ordinary tribute act (of which, Young notes, there have been several, with names ranging from Fake Bush to Withering Tights). This is as much a celebration of the fans and the reason why they love Kate Bush’s music as it is of the music itself. Young is not afraid to wander through the audience, asking guests for their favourite Bush number – and offering a warm, non-judgemental welcome to those who are unfamiliar with the whole catalogue.
Most of the numbers which Young recreates are some of Bush’s biggest hits, performed with a loving tongue in her cheek. Young captures all of her idol’s vocal idiosyncrasies perfectly while poking gentle fun at Bush’s distinctive dance style. Bush, Young explains, is “easier to parody than understand” – but in her recreations of Hounds of Love, Running Up That Hill or The Man With the Child in His Eyes, it is very clear that she can do both.
A few numbers get amusing tweaks – Baboushka is sung in Russian, This Woman’s Work becomes a performance by a cleaner with mop and tabard, and Don’t Give Up is performed “without the boring Peter Gabriel bits” as two members of the audience are invited up to slow dance on stage.
If one is not a member of the “fish people” – a term for a die-hard Bush fan, named after her record label – at the start of this hour, it is highly likely one will be by the end. Young and her collaborator Russell Lucas have devised an evening of glorious eccentricity that captures the genius of one of Britain’s most original voices. But more than that, An Evening Without Kate Bush celebrates the love and affection that fans can have for their hero in a manner that fills the heart with joy.
Continues until 26 February 2022
