You can never accuse SimG of playing it safe. Whilst other labels are busy resurrecting old classics, or releasing the latest blockbuster, sure fire hit recording, SimG (luckily for us) concentrate on bringing us new, varied, and quality Cast Recordings, written by the best of British talent. Their latest release certainly ticks most of the boxes, and it's certainly far from 'safe'.

The A-Z of Mrs P sees award winning composer Gwyneth Herbert, and playwright/author Diane Samuels join forces to bring to life the extraordinary autobiographies of Phylis Pearsall in this new British musical. This is the original cast recording of the production that is currently running at London's Southwark Playhouse.

The A-Z of Mrs P is the moving story of how Phyllis Pearsall embraced a city and faced her mentor and nemesis to find her own feet. In 1936, Phyllis left her husband in Venice and came to find her way in London. Then she received a telegram from her father, map publisher Alexander Gross. And here begins the story of how an eccentric Bohemian artist put down her paints, picked up the drawing board to follow in her beloved and impossible father’s footsteps to map an entire city, and went on to build an iconic business midst the tangled labyrinths of a troubled family saga.

As I mentioned earlier, this recording features the Southwark Playhouse cast; Isy Suttie (Peep Show) as the pioneering Mrs P, Tony winner Frances Ruffelle (Les Miserables), Michael Matus (Sound of Music), Stuart Matthew Price, Ian Caddick, Sarah Earnshaw, Max Gallagher, Sidney Livingstone, and Dawn Sievewright. This is certainly an interesting listen. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it more or less with each listen. It did take a good couple of listens to immerse myself in the world of Phyllis, and work out what was going on (the excellent booklet helps here), but the songs did remain pretty unmemorable I'm afraid to say. They are pleasant enough certainly - 'Lovely London Town' is perhaps the standout, and so it should be having won the Stiles & Drew award a few years ago. I also enjoyed the more jovial 'Bus Song' and 'A Girl Needs a Husband'. The songs are well constructed, witty and benefit from the excellent arrangements by Sarah Travis and the composer.

One of the sticking points for me was Isy Suttie. It's not a one-woman show, but the recording does hinge on her, and I just couldn't get on with her voice. I am sure she was great on stage, and perhaps it's just personal preference, but her tone and delivery were not what I was expecting. It was nice to hear the composer sing on the bonus track - something that makes the CD recommendable above the download. The rest of the cast are excellent, and a special mention must be made of the wonderful Frances Rufelle - a superb performance, as always.

This is another quality product from SimG - it all sounds great, and is well packaged, which is the norm for this label. The material is clever, enjoyable, and there is a lot to listen to and to enjoy.

7

Ian Gude