“Jasmine Swan’s set design uses the design of the theatre and extends it into the stage, bringing a sense of grandeur to it and blurring the lines between Judy’s stage and hotel room. Swan’s costume design also wows throughout, with Jinkx Monsoon in a series of stunning dresses that pay tribute to the iconic looks Judy Garland is associated with.”
“One scene tumbles into the next as the setting drifts between her suite at The Ritz, the nightclub, and BBC studios (for a radio interview), replicating her fugue state. The ever-present piano of Jasmine Swan’s set, and the white drapes that extend to the steps of the stage, show how Judy is always required to perform, even when she is hidden away in her hotel room. This portrait of an icon undone by fame and the selfish motivations of those around her has chilling relevance for women who are let down by the entertainment business today. There is little salve at the play’s end, as the loyal Anthony narrates the events of Judy’s tragic final days. Yet, when Monsoon returns to the stage one last time to sing the title number, dressed in one of Swan’s resplendent gowns, it is a reminder that her powerful voice lives on.”
“Jasmine Swan’s fabulously elegant set literally merges with the theatre we inhabit, so there’s a blending of worlds. We’re Judy’s audience, and as she arrives from amongst us, boundaries between her reality and her stage persona are confused. Monsoon’s entrance is simply breathtaking. That voice, mastered to perfection, stuns the audience into silence and immediately connects us emotionally. She doesn’t just imitate Garland, she becomes her.”
“The work is undoubtedly at home in Walthamstow: the original architecture of the venue hugs Jasmine Swan’s set design tenderly. The opulence of the proscenium encases the white pleated stage, while a piano sits in the centre. ”
END OF THE RAINBOW (SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW)
Fringe Theatre Awards Nomination for Best Set, Best Costume and Best Production
Writer: Peter Quilter
Director: Rupert Hands
Musical Supervision and Orchestration: Leo Munby
Musical Director: Nick Barstow
Set & Costume Designer: Jasmine Swan
Movement Director: Fabian Aloise
Lighting Designer: Prema Mehta
Sound Designer: Tony Gayle
Dialect Coach: Rebecca Daltry
Produced by Lambert Jackson with Sean Nyberg & Paul Danforth, Merritt Baer, George Strus and Pascal Ultee Productions
Photographer: Danny with a Camera