Writer: Peter Quilter
Director: Conor Hanratty
Fresh from their successful presentation of Tuesdays with Morrie earlier this year, producing duo Pat Moylan and Breda Cashe bring Peter Quilter’s musical drama Judy: End of the Rainbow to the stage of Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre.
Centred around beloved actress and singer Judy Garland’s five week residency in Chelsea’s Talk of the Town nightclub from December 30th 1968 to February 1st 1969, the play exposes the fragility of the Hollywood legend by that time, and the beginning of a turbulent downward spiral towards her death just months later on June 22nd, at the age of 47.
The action begins in a luxurious suite at London’s Ritz Hotel compliments of set designer Ciaran Bagnall. A few bars of Over the Rainbow ring out as Judy’s longtime pianist tinkles the ivories. In a clever exercise of dramatic license, Quilter has created the composite character of Anthony. He is a gentle, English musician who is fiercely loyal to Judy and representative of her devoted gay following across the world.
His icon enters the room followed by her recently acquired, much younger fiancé and new manager, “gorgeous” Mickey Deans. The majority of their luggage has been left in the lobby, “half of them stuffed with old towels, but you have to keep up appearances”. Added to which, Judy is dodging the hotel’s manager, Mr Crosby. The cash-strapped entertainer will “pay them when it’s convenient” for her.
Throughout Act 1 we bear witness to rising tensions between the two men. Anthony is deeply suspicious of Deans’ motives and views his controlling behaviour as being detrimental to Judy’s wellbeing. Not least in how increasingly he either withholds or doles out prescription pills and alcohol to the singer in order to coax performances from her. This is a lethal state of affairs for a woman who “used to have pills sewn into the hems of dresses or taped to the back of furniture”. For her part Judy is determined to make Mickey husband number five, after “Grumpy, Dopey, Sleepy …”. And he does seem to genuinely care for her. Darragh Shannon is larger than life as the loud, ambitious American and a perfect foil for Will O’Connell as Judy’s reserved and constant English confidante.
Anna-Jane Casey is flawless in the lead role. Her wealth of experience in musicals across the West End stand her in good stead as she belts out favourites such as For Me and My Gal, You Made Me Love You, Zing Went the Strings of my Heart and Come Rain or Come Shine. Garland’s voice had an instantly recognizable vibrato, the trembling, warble-like quality of which Casey manages to harness very well. She is beautifully accompanied by recordings of The Niall Kinsella Orchestra with David Munro as music producer.
Act 2 showcases the tumultuous decline in Garland’s mental and physical health and behaviour. Pills and alcohol have a grip on her and the strain of performing nightly takes its toll. A radio interview is a shambles and performances are marked by an inability to remember the setlist and words of songs. All Judy wants to do is “go back to California” and “get married and settle into a little house”. Casey is as good an actress as she is a singer and is very ably supported by O’Connell and Shannon. The fourth member of this solid ensemble is multi-rolling William Morgan as Mr Crosby, the BBC Radio Interviewer and the Porter at Talk of the Town.
Except for an occasional lag in pacing which is attributable more to dialogue than to action, director Conor Hanratty has produced a cohesive and impactful iteration of this funny but tragic play. Costumes for Judy by Valentina Gambardella are wonderful with one dress actually receiving a round of applause from the audience. Lighting is designed by Viko Nikci who uses it to differentiate between the hotel room backstage and onstage at the club. A halo of light isolating Garland from the darkness when performing live is tremendously dramatic.
To close the show, and despite struggling against exhaustion and the substance abuse which has brought her to the edge of a nervous breakdown, Garland delivers a powerful and deeply emotional rendition of her signature song Over the Rainbow. There isn’t a dry eye in the house.
It is easy to see why this play has previously been nominated for four Laurence Olivier and three Tony Awards. And while Judy: End of the Rainbow is a musical drama with a cast of four and not a big-budget musical extravaganza, the production is punching far above its weight. Its standing ovation is well deserved.
Runs Until 19th Sept 2026.
