A year ago Jackie Clarke brought Joanna Murray-Smith’s Songs for Nobodies to the Pumphouse Theatre in Auckland and I described it as a triumph. Twelve months on Clarke reprises the show at Q Theatre, and yes, it is still sensational.
The show is expertly directed by Jennifer Ward-Lealand, with live musical accompaniment by the always flawless Penny Dodd. The set is simple yet elegant: A grand piano, three Tiffany lamps, a couple of chairs and a ring of floor lights, all perfectly suited to the various locations.
The story concerns five ordinary working woman who meet their musical idols in brief but, for them, deeply meaningful and emotional circumstances. Beatrice is a bathroom attendant who fixes Judy Garland’s dress. Pearl is a theatre usher who gets called up to sing on stage by Patsy Cline. Edie is a librarian whose father was saved by Edith Piaf in the Second World War. Gwendoline ‘Two Junior’ Jones is a writer who gets an opportunity to interview Billy Holliday, and finally there’s Orla, an Irish nanny who meets the opera singer Maria Callas on Ari Onassis’ yacht.
These stories are beautifully written and each character has a moving and often amusing narrative. Clarke has a natural ability to draw one into these stories and manages to create fully realised personalities with their own accents and unique perspective. In addition to the ordinary women, Clarke also gives voice to the five divas and these are delivered perfectly both in conversation and in song. Seeing this show a year later I was reminded of Clarke’s versatility and nuance and how seamlessly she flits from person to person.
She is quite simply sensational and her delivery of the songs such as Piaf’s Je Ne Regrette Rien, to Cline’s Crazy, were touching recreations that had all the star power of their original singers. If I had to pick a favourite it would have to be Clarke’s performance as Billy Holliday. Her version of Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do was delightful. The absolute knockout though was Strange Fruit, that remarkably haunting song which Clarke delivered with heartbreaking honesty and emotion.
Clarke’s Songs for Nobodies seems to have aged so well in the year since I’ve seen it. The characters, the evocation, the music, all seem to have matured and the result is a show that is simply stunning.
SONGS FOR NOBODIES
28 October- 1 November 2026
Q Theatre Auckland
