One-woman shows and musical two-handers about legendary performers are ten a penny on the festival circuit. Primarily because of their minimal cast, minimal set and as a result minimal expense. But few are as classy and accomplished as Michaela Burger and Greg Wain’s celebration of the tragic sensation that was Edith Piaf.

The title may be uninspiring and the structure simplistic – a chronology of her life, including a whirlwind summary of her childhood in sixty seconds, interspersed with colourful vignettes laced with meticulously researched facts and quotes, each of which crescendo in song – but the execution is exquisite.

Not only is Burger’s voice technically flawless, but it has a purity to it which rooted in the truth has the capacity to silence the room into a charged hush and draw the audience into the palm of her hand. And though she employs loop, delay and effect pedals to create a haunting underscore, it is the intricate and unobtrusive playing of Wain on guitar (and occasionally voice) which elevates the show from cabaret to class.

The iconic anthems take centre stage – indeed La Vie En Rose and Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien were both reprised as encores following a standing ovation finale – but this is no Stars In Your Eyes impersonation for the arrangements are fresh and original, and there is a sprinkling of lesser-known gems to satisfy diehards and newbies alike.

True, the numbers may not have the emotional grit and tragic depth of the originals – but then Piaf truly was an one-off and given her turbulent childhood and chaotic lifestyle how she survived for as long as she did (47) is a miracle – but both Burger and Wain breathe new life into the familiar with aplomb (a highlight being their melancholic take on Autumn Leaves) and follow up their spellbinding performance with a three-week run at Assembly George Square Studios (Studio Three) at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Peter Callaghan
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