See it if You’re up for 65 of the longest minutes you’ll spend in a theatre. Great premise and set but unrealized characters adrift in this script.
Don't see it if You've no interest in 1920's Parisian nightlife, clever lesbian love songs or an unhappy if interesting chanteuse/amoureuse life story. Read more
See it if you have an interest in the life of Suzy Solidar and want to hear some French cabaret songs (sung in English).
Don't see it if you want to be entertained. Only a bit over an hour, but it seemed much longer. She tried to interact with the audience, to little success.
See it if interested in Suzy Solidor, risqué between-wars chansons, left bank lesbians. If you don't know her, this will not provide much insight
Don't see it if you're looking for drama, detail or much besides the atmosphere of a semi-seedy Parisian cabaret, which is skillfully evoked by set & singer Read more
See it if you like lesbian themes
Don't see it if the singing were better
See it if You want an interesting night with songs. You have a passion for the subject matter already.
Don't see it if you want something fast paced or entertaining. Read more
See it if You are a fan of cabaret or art song. You enjoy shows with audience interaction. Connect with themes about aging, mortality, and beauty.
Don't see it if You are looking for a show that will give you an in-depth biography of Solidor. You dislike audience interaction. Read more
See it if you like French Bistro music. Charming set and great singing are marred by a confusing and muddled story. I helps to know French.
Don't see it if you don't like shows with Gay themes.
See it if Singing is enough for you
Don't see it if You’re interested in engaging plot
“A curious mixture of low camp, high drama, and cabaret that shines some perfumed wattage on one of the world’s once-illustrious, now-forgotten icons from the same nightclub world as Édith Piaf, Josephine Baker, and Mistinguett...Walker never achieves the sultry throatiness of the flamboyant Suzy, but she still dominates the show with ersatz artistry...Some of the flavor of free love Suzy Solidor was selling in that bygone cabaret era comes through again in this uneven but fascinating show.”
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“Uneasily stranded between nightclub act and full-out biographic drama. The dialogue scenes play like a highlight reel from a vintage film melodrama...Strains to maintain a steamy atmosphere of intrigue. But when the commanding Walker, with her silvery soprano, takes the stage, all is well...Has some attractively sexy and melancholy songs delivered by a singer who is a mistress of the form. The rest of it is the raw material for a play yet to be written.”
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"If there is a touch of Édith Piaf in Solidor, there's even more of Marlene Dietrich in her...She does not seem right for the role that she has created. While she bears a resemblance to photos of Solidor, she is too soft in her delivery, too cautious with her interactions, and too sweet in her singing tone to be completely convincing...In the end, the potentially fascinating character of Suzy Solidor remains stubbornly out of reach."
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"An interminable 65-minute bore...Obviously, Solidor led quite an interesting existence. It’s a pity that 'All I Want Is One Night' is such a drag...Solidor scarcely flickers to life. Painted in fragments by Walker in wordplay that alternately seems precious or stiff, this portrait of the artist is too impressionistic to be informative or satisfying theater. Worse than that, Walker’s portrayal does not connect with the woman she attempts to convey."
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“Part of 59E59's Brits Off-Broadway 2018 festival, Jessica Walker's ‘All I Want is One Night’ takes place in an odd combination of cabaret and antique shop. Theater B in the 59E59 Theaters complex has been done over as a café with moody lighting by Kate Ashton and extraordinary period perfect costumes (uncredited). It is 1980 in Haut de Cagnes and Suzy Solidor (Walker) in her dotage is about to be painted by Lindstrom (Alexandra Mathie who plays multiple characters…quite convincingly)."
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"The thrill of Walker’s 'All I Want Is One Night' is that she creates as a performer and playwright a world in which danger and glamour and delusion and talent are mixed altogether with commerce...Walker sings the songs she translated from the French with beautiful simplicity. Her subtle performance of this fascinating woman saves this evening from any possible cliché and the supporting actors are equally as faceted and real."
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“Sensual and eager to devour life with every pore in her body. Walker’s portrayal of Solidor makes this abundantly clear. The fine performances of the other members of the cast...not only support Walker but bring needed zest and spark. Walker does her best to convey the passion and determination of Solidor, and she succeeds mightily in the songs...The autobiographical monologues and the patter directed at the audience do not hold up as well as they feel random and disconnected."
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"Ms. Walker certainly captures the intriguing beauty of the chanteuse and deftly delivers each of the eight musical numbers...This is all well and good but what is missing is the guttural passion, husky timbre and vulnerable vibrato that were trademarks of Solidor...The sixty-five-minute production is an interesting evening of entertainment that shines a glimmer of light on the fascinating chanteuse but does not qualify or succeed at being a bona fide piece of theater."
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