Review: An Evening without Kate Bush (Touring)

Thursday, 24th October 2024 at Leeds Playhouse 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Created by Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas, the hugely popular fringe favourite An Evening without Kate Bush is a warm-hearted tribute not just to the iconic Kate Bush herself, but also the community of fans who celebrate her.

Young stars in this one person extravaganza and she is warm, engaging and endearingly sincere about her love of Kate Bush, silliness and the Kate Bush fandom. The show sees her re-enacting tribute acts she has researched and adding her own to the mix (including a particularly entertaining throwback to childhood). Some of it is clever and some of it is gleefully silly. There are moments of real genius, like the rendition of “Babushka” which corrects us all on our Russian pronunciation – and moments of dramatic flair, like the eccentric entrance and quirky use of giant eyes.

And quirky is the key word here; it’s a free-for-all in the name of cabaret and when it comes to Kate Bush as muse, the opportunities for a fair bit of eccentricity are ripe. Wuthering Heights, Running Up That Hill, Woman’s Work and The Man
With The Child In His Eyes all get a solid outing – Young has a gorgeous voice which beautifully lends itself to the distinctive sound of Bush’s music. The segments of the show in which Young’s voice rings out are the real highlights; the generous patter shared with audience members between songs and tributes however was a little lost on me.

Majority of the show is squarely aimed at super fans, which is ordinarily nothing to take aim at. But the show markets itself under a promise that relative rookies are just as welcome and just as likely to have a joyous time – the first certainly rings true, but the latter not so much. In truth, if your knowledge and appreciation of Kate Bush is limited and you don’t yet have your membership card to the fandom, the show may not be as joyous and enjoyable as it is for those hooting around you… 

One thing is certain though: Young is incredibly talented and an evening in her company – with or without Kate Bush – is a pretty good one.

An Evening without Kate Bush is set to tour into 2025 – more information and tickets can be found here.