Review: The Sound of Falling Stars

It is almost impossible to simply enjoy immortal compositions such as Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay and Love will Tear us Apart given what happened to the singers soon after they recorded their signature songs.  Otis Redding died in a plane crash with his bandmates three days after Sittin’ was recorded while Ian Curtis took his life three weeks after the Joy Division video was shot for Love will Tear us Apart. Are these compositions made all the more mythical due to the public’s morbid fascination with dead rock stars? Or are they merely great songs that move us because we think about what could have been?

These questions are rolling around my head during The Sound of Falling Stars, as Goodall channels Otis and Curtis as well as a plethora of male singers who died before their time in a piece written and directed by Robyn Archer. It is an exploration and celebration of these artists. Goodall not only performs their signature hits but acts as the performers, a perfect role for the actor and singer who co-founded the alt-folk group The Audreys and has been a mainstay of theatre across the country for many years.

Beginning as a snarling Sid Vicious, Goodall plays the Sex Pistols bass player for laughs as the not-so-talented punk icon sets the humorous tone for the beginning of the show before stepping back in time to embody crooners such as Mario Lanza and Bobby Darin as well as country star Hank Williams. It is light at the start with the heart and depth coming from the songs rather than the performances away from the songs. And Goodall (aptly accompanied by musicians George Butrumlis and Enio Pozzebon) proves he can croon.

The show gets darker as the dead stars pile up. We enjoy the hits but the death count becomes unnerving. Sam Cooke and Otis Redding’s stories are especially moving. Goodall doesn’t quite capture the foot-stomping majesty of Otis live (who could?) or the richness and depth of Cooke’s crooning, but the stories about their deaths still hurt any music lover.

The most moving suite is the Tim and Jeff Buckley section, a definite lump-in-the-throat moment for the audience as Goodall brilliantly performs a selection of songs from the father and the son who both died too young in different circumstances.

While the mixture of absent parents, bad health and lifestyle choices mean there are more questions than answers as to why male stars seem to die so young, what shines through is the public’s blood lust over famous performers who live close to the edge. This is made clear with the brutal Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith pieces. You feel guilty for enjoying what came before. If only we could enjoy the music without obsessing over the stars. And, maybe, to paraphrase Paul McCartney, just let them be.

The Sound of Falling Stars was performed at the Dunstan Playhouse on Thursday, June 22