Review written for Female Arts Magazine at the Edinburgh Festival fringe 2015.
I got my first in depth introduction to Janis Joplin a few years ago when I read Patti Smith’s first book, Just Kids. A Pearl of a girl she called her, a talented yet tragic woman, desperate to be loved but destined to never find her true happiness. Her life was littered with mistreatment, bullying and abuse, all of which lead to her eventual demise in a hail of drugs and alcohol. One thing to come out of all this depression was of course her music; that husky, bluesy voice incomparable to any other, her songs inspiring a generation. Suffice to say, taking all of this in to account, that I was expecting quite a lot from this production, I was not left disappointed.
Full Tilt is a play, I would almost say a musical, based around Janis Joplin’s life with award winning performer Anji Darcy in the leading role. Darcy caries the dialogue almost entirely alone, telling us stories from Joplin’s far from perfect childhood in Texas right up to her last night on Earth. Actor and musician Harry Ward heads up the Full Tilt band on guitar, leading them in to exuberant renditions of Joplin’s milestone hits, Darcy at the wheel, belting and wailing with the passion of Janis herself.
Although I knew Joplin’s story well, I still became overcome with emotion as she recounted the way her Mother spoke to her as a child, the abuse she faced at school and especially the way that she spoke of herself, giving her stage persona Pearl all the credit, believing that she as Janis was worthless. This was due to the realness of Darcy’s performance, she truly embodied the mind, body and spirit of Janis Joplin, making this show unmissable.
After its 2014 awards for Best Play from the Scottish Art’s Club and an Outstanding Performance Award from the Musical Theatre Network for Darcy’s portrayal, Full Tilt has gained credit as a must see show, a well-deserved accolade. Fringe First award winning playwright Peter Arnott and multi award winning director Cora Bissett have put together a fantastic production that serves Joplin’s memory well. I would recommend it especially to fans of Janis, it really is an uplifting if quite emotional interpretation of her life, work and of course her untimely death.