Andy Pritchard enjoys a Jazanne Arts show at Trinity Church in Enfield

Musical Memories is now touring later-life venues across London

Edmonton-based Jazanne Arts returned last month with its latest bespoke offering for older audiences, Musical Memories, in which we again meet their endearing central characters, Esme and Elsie.

Written and performed by Annie Smol and Jacqui Livingston, the show is structured around iconic music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s with Esme’s Caribbean and Elsie’s Cockney heritage providing the backdrop to their stories.

Musical Memories finds the women at a difficult crossroads, with Esme having decided to move into sheltered accommodation, while Elsie is adamant she’s staying in her house. One of the strengths of Jazanne’s work is its readiness to talk about issues central to the audience’s experience. When Esme talks of the racism she experienced when she first came to the “mother country”, and Elsie talks of her abusive ex-husband, they take us into waters sadly familiar to many watching.

As Elsie helps her friend pack, their memories are triggered by various dresses and items, and the songs flow, carrying us back in time. Using images, tracks and the sublime pianist Nick Lacey, the audience is completely drawn in and in full voice.

This show, which can be pitched at different levels depending on the cognitive abilities of the audience, is both a joy and a triumph. That practitioners of the skill and dedication of Jazanne Arts should choose to write for and perform in a care sector neglected for so long is both inspiring and a source of hope – its shows not only help to trigger memories of happier times but brings a shared validation to a collective past.

Musical Memories is being performed to 20 later-life venues across London, funded by Arts Council England and City Bridge Foundation. For more information:
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