Battersea Bardot – New Wimbledon Theatre, London

A new musical about the life of actress Carol White, Battersea Bardot has all the potential of a starlet on the rise, and just needs a little refining.

Content warning: mentions of sexual abuse and alcohol and substance abuse.

Battersea Bardot

Shall I start with a confession?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Ken Loach film.  Something about liking escapism rather than realism in my cinema.  So I wasn’t previously familiar with Carol White, the eponymous Battersea Bardot in this new musical at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

White, a Hammersmith native (truth never got in the way of a good alliterative newspaper moniker), was a working class actress who, after a career break when she had children, rose to fame in the title role of Loach’s 1966 television play Cathy Come Home.  The following year she starred in another Loach work, Poor Cow, and seemed to be on the verge of making it big.  But, a bit like a Loach character (I assume), the odds remained stacked against her. Nothing seemed to go quite right or come to fruition and her star waned once more.

We meet White first as her son makes a 911 call, at the end of her life in 1991.  In a series of flashbacks she traces back how she got here.  Her early family life, potential channelled by her eager father into talent contests.  Sexual abuse at the hands of an uncle. Making it big, flings with actors and producers (better to offer yourself up than be hurt, right?). The promise of a Hollywood contract.  A failed marriage.  An alcohol and substance abuse problem.  Life imitates art?

The Challenge Of A New Musical

There’s a lot to get right when writing a new musical.  It must be a challenge to write a one woman show (or a three woman show if you count Gabrielle Ball on the piano and Annie Hodgson on cello).  And part of the specific challenge with Battersea Bardot is that it has a lot going on.

Consider the structure: essentially it’s a woman in the early 1990s looking back to the late 1960s, when she looked back to her post-war childhood.  Stylistically (set and costume – Emily Louise Munt) it’s the Swinging Sixties, but this isn’t borne out by the music.  The music I would classify as ‘contemporary musical’, aside from a few moments that reminded me melodically of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a number before the interval which drew on music hall traditions.  It was almost jarring when the background music to the interval took us back to the 60s once more.

A one woman show is also a lot to carry.  Anne Rabbitt commits to the role in all its highs, lows and regrets under the direction of Elizabeth Huskisson who doesn’t shy away from these darker corners.  But Rabbitt’s voice is strongest when it’s directly accompanied by the music, which isn’t often the case with Ewen Moore’s score.  This combination does convey something of the pathos of a rags to riches to rags story, but I lost a few lines to sound effects, the musicians, or a turned back.

Just Like Our Battersea Bardot, I See Potential

Battersea Bardot is on in the New Wimbledon Theatre’s Studio space as part of this year’s Premieres season, in which the theatre and the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) support new work and rising talent.  There’s definitely potential in Battersea Bardot, but more work to do.

I think first and foremost it’s a question of identity.  If it’s a Swinging Sixties musical it would be nice to hear more of that in the score.  As it stands, I connected most to the dramatic moments between the songs (Moore is also the playwright and wrote the book and lyrics so there is potential to change the balance).  I also think a little bit more exposition would help, given this is a musical about an actress who is not today a household name.  I had to go to Carol White’s Wikipedia page to find out that the often-referenced Paul was Paul Burke. Perhaps a trim as well: I could see this work suiting a snappy one act format.

But new work needs time to develop and grow.  As an audience we need to be the Ken Loach who sees and nurtures this light away from the detractors and deadbeats. The seeds are here for a work of emotional honesty and an innovative take on a small-scale musical. A good creative team, especially including lighting by Alex Forey which deserves a mention for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, should help Battersea Bardot in this quest.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 2.5/5

Battersea Bardot on until 23 September 2023