End Of The Rainbow

Book excerpt: Musical drama of Judy Garland's "come-back" concerts Christmas 1968: with a six week booking at London's Talk of the Town, it looks like Judy Garland is set firmly on the comeback trail. The failed marriages, the suicide attempts and the addictions are all behind her. At forty-six and with new flame Mickey Deans at her side, she seems determined to carry it off and recapture her magic. But lasting happiness always eludes some people, and there was never any answer to the question with which Judy ended every show: "If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why, can't I?" End of the Rainbow is a savagely funny drama featuring a glorious ensemble of Judy Garland hits and infused with the glamour and the melancholy of stardom. "Every note she sings, every racket she makes, every tear she sheds, every joke she cracks, every pill she pops - is conveyed with alarming honesty. This knockout portrait of a living catastrophe should not be missed." What's On Published to tie-in with the premiere at the Sydney Opera House in July 2005