Julie Wilson

Festival Theatre Stage, 10–12 June

“I'm Gonna Live Till I Die”, sang Julie Wilson, and at the ripe old age of 84 no lyrics ever rang truer! 

What a wonderful, memorable hour, in the presence of a living legend.

Hey, the voice might be a bit rough, but who the hell cares when you’re hearing stories about being introduced to Cole Porter—and promptly being offered a part in Kiss Me, Kate. Fabulous stories about some of the most famous people ever to tread the music theatre boards, all told with no degrees of separation, came between affectionate performances of great classics and a few remarkable rarities, like “Once in a blue moon” from the Jerome Kern/Anne Caldwell revue The Stepping Stones.

A medley from Cole Porter’s Fifty Million Frenchmen and Can-Can raised the roof, but nothing like her astonishing performance of “Surabaya Johnny”, which caused a near riot.

She said –and sang—that she’s a bad woman, but good company. Not a bit of it, she’s beautiful. Full marks and a gold star, too, to pianist Christopher Denny, on whom Wilson heavily relies, and who duly served as a tower both of strength and of artistry.

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