Rebecca TrehearnA lot of people have been lucky (or unlucky) to have fallen in love but, eventually, have their hearts broken. It depends how you see it. How we deal with the aftermath of a heartbreak lies solely on us – we ultimately try to pick ourselves up and move on. That’s exactly what Kate (Rebecca Trehearn) tries to do in Heart of Winter.
Heart of Winter, written by Tim Connor and Lia Buddle introduces us to Kate who is an ordinary northern girl in her mid-twenties. She’s a primary school teacher and has just split from someone who she thought was the love of her life. In this solo show, we watch Kate as she tries to reassemble her life after Adam. She’s disheveled and not sure what to do next – everything reminds her of Adam or brings her back to the thought of him.
Trehearn is charming and exquisite throughout. The Olivier-award winning actress portrays Kate as a likeable and relatable woman from the beginning. Also, including her northern charm into Kate’s vocals adds something extra special to it. The beginning is dark and Kate gets more and more ‘in her head’ about the whole situation. We worry where these cycle of thoughts will conclude for Kate and root for our leading lady to pull through. Lighter parts like her teaching job and driving tests are much needed and make the show well balanced.
The song-cycle at Crazy Coqs was short and sweet. The show’s just over half an hour and was beautifully accompanied by Caroline Humphris on piano. Humphris is just as engaging as Trehearn. The music and playing were delectable, emotional and comforting. The performance was described as being ‘acoustic’ and after hearing Humphris I thought, does the show need to be anything more than this, musically? It was a perfect fit.
Connor and Buddle have created something intricate and simply pleasing. The lyrics and score are impressive and Kate’s character, endearing. The show will repeat at Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel next week. I’m sure this show will only grow. I look forward to hopefully seeing a production rather than a song-cycle.
Review by Tomm Ingram
Rebecca Trehearn, winner of the 2017 Olivier Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress In A Musical’, stars in the acclaimed song cycle Heart of Winter. The one-woman piece will be performed at Crazy Coqs (Live at Zedel) for two performances: 9th & 15th May at 7pm.
Ms. Trehearn (Show Boat, City of Angels) is accompanied at the piano by musical director Caroline Humphris. The evening is directed by Susan Raasay.
Written by Tim Connor (music and lyrics) and Lia Buddle (story and dramaturgy), the British score includes cabaret favourite ‘Back To School’, winner of the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize.