Lena – Assembly George Square
This was – Brilliantly conceived and delivered – and I mean that most sincerely folks!
As someone raised on Opportunity Knocks (think Britain’s Got Talent) this certainly hit some deep and emotional triggers! Via the power of Jon Culshaw’s brilliant embodiment of Hugh Green, I am transported back to 1974, as 10-year-old singing sensation Lena Zavaroni, from the wee Isle of Bute, rockets to stardom on Opportunity Knocks, ITV's top talent show.
At the start of the play, we see Lena in a wheelchair being led into an operating theatre for experimental neurosurgery. The story of her rise and fall, from her very humble beginnings on Bute, her neurotic mum and musical dad and the chance encounter that set her on her path, all presented in a series of flash backs.
Erin Armstrong is ab...