Piaf

11 Jul 2025

Storyhouse

No glamour. No gimmicks. No pretence. Nothing but a voice, singing of life’s triumphs and tragedies. Who was Edith Piaf? And how did she come to represent the spirit of Paris like no- one before or since?

Christine Bovill hated French at school; a fact she was happy to share with anyone who would listen. That is, until the chance discovery of an Edith Piaf record. This would prove a seminal moment in the life of the 14 year old girl from Glasgow- and set Christine on a fateful path through time into the world of France’s greatest musical icon.

PIAF, as much a play as it is a musical homage, is a funny, poignant and moving theatrical homage to one of France’s most endearing icons; celebrating some of her best known songs, threaded with Piaf’s story, and Christine’s own remarkable journey in the world of chanson.

An award-winning songwriter in her own right, and recipient of Spirit of the Fringe, Bovill has toured throughout Europe and the Far East with her self-penned homage to the Little Sparrow, appearing on BBC Newsnight and on BBC Radio 4’s series, Soul Music. During her Edinburgh Fringe sell-out run at the Famous Speigeltent, Bovill realised a lifelong dream when she shared the stage with Charles Dumont, great friend of Piaf and, most famously, composer of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. They performed several songs together to close the show. PIAF was awarded the Fringe laurels for Total Sell Out Show 2011 and 2012. It received 5 STAR reviews from some of the most respected publications (including The Scotsman).

Despite the sorrow of Piaf’s story, this is an evening of celebration – a tale of human triumph over tragedy; and, at its heart, a unique performance by a woman widely regarded as one of the finestinterpreters of French Song.