Book and Lyrics: Rebecca Simmonds
Music and Lyrics: Jack Miles
Director: Grace Taylor
This one-woman musical about a French artist working in the early 1900s is the early hit of this year’s VAULT Festival. Like the pots that Marie-Berthe creates, In Clay is perfectly formed and expertly polished.
Rosalind Ford plays Marie-Berthe, a young artist in Paris at the turn of the century. She and her friend Henrietta attend art classes where both are influenced by their teacher, Jean-Charles. He encourages them both to such an extent that Henrietta becomes a very famous artist. Marie’s talent lies in pottery, where her smooth simple creations eventually catch the eye of Jean-Charles’ son, Michel.
Marie and Michel fall in love and get married, but they continue to work, both making pots that are soon exhibited in prestigious shows across Paris. But one day, one of Marie’s pots finds its way on to Michel’s stand and the story of their partnership is changed forever. For a 60-minute show, the story by Rebecca Simmonds is surprisingly detailed
Ford’s performance as the overlooked artist is first-class, and she smoothly navigates the time-shifts and so we are never in doubt where we are in the story. Her voice, too, is superb and she just about manages to sing more loudly than the trains that run above the VAULT’s underground space.
It’s so refreshing to see a new musical where the songs match the time-period and location of the narrative. Too often new musicals all sound alike, relying on rather generic musical theatre tunes, but here Jack Miles has composed songs that sound French. The jazzy-bistro sound precisely complements a pre-war Paris full of artists and full of intrigue. Simmonds and Miles’ lyrics are often composed of rhyming triplets sung on top of repeated musical phrases that add a dance element to the music.
In another surprise, the music is played live by a talented four-piece band led by Matt Herbert on keyboards. The musicians form a tight unit with Rhiannon Hopkins on bass, Daniel Kemshell on guitar and Auguste Janonyte on a violin that often echoes Ford’s voice. The band appears to enjoy the tunes as much as the audience.
Just before he dies, Jean-Charles tells Marie that artists should ‘live out loud’ and yet Marie doesn’t really follow that advice. Instead, she takes a different route, and her quiet, dignified choice overturns the familiar narrative of success, and In Clay is better for it.
Runs to 28 January 2023
The VAULT Festival runs from 24 January to 19 March 2023
