Search - Joyce Grenfel :: Songs & Monologues

From an earlier, gentler time, Comedy of a different kind

mikeyboy41 | Seattle. USA | 09/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joyce Grenfell was far more talented as a comediene, actor & artist than this simple collection can convey. It may seem dated & twee, but it came from a time when comedy was a different animal, especially for a woman trying to suceed in what was very much a man's world.Ranging from straight songs, through monologues that go from tragic to comedy, we get a glimpse of a bygone age. Best of all are the two monologues "Nursery School" & "Nursery School (Flowers)", who can forget her trilling "Children!" at the begining of each track. You never get to hear the children, it is all left to your imagination, this imagery is at it's best as she disparages "George... don't do that!". What was George doing?There are some let downs, "Telephone Call" is just a sad story & a real downer to end the CD on. But this is not the main theme of the disc.The other comedy is a song, "Old Tyme Dancing", which can still make me laugh almost 35 years after I first heard it! Who can forget the reference to "I dance with Mrs Tiverton, she's light on her feet in spite of turning the scales at 14 stone (196lbs) & being of medium height!".As Max Miller once said, "There'll Never Be Another" & this is also true of Joyce Grenfell. If you are prepared to settle back & don't expect the cutting edge comedy of today's sharp tongued acts then you will enjoy this collection."