WHEN I was wee I wanted to be Lena Zavaroni – the nearest I got was singing into my hairbrush in front of the mirror.
But Lena went all the way…to the White House to sing in front of President Gerald Ford, HRH the Queen and with Hollywood royalty Frank Sinatra.
My generation grew up to the 1970’s soundtrack of power cuts, strikes. three TV channels - and ‘Ma’s He’s Making Eyes at Me’ was part of that soundtrack.
It’s hard to describe now the sensation Lena caused in front of 18 million viewers at the age of only 10-years-old, and even more importantly her talent, too often overshadowed by the tragic events that followed.

Greenock Telegraph:


I was delighted to hear that Tim Whitnall, who had written Morecambe (my comedy hero) had penned a play about Lena’s story and went along to the Beacon, not exactly knowing what to expect.
It was a hard watch at times.
We all think we know so much about Lena Zavaroni – this play tells us what we didn’t.
The journey to Opportunity Knocks and how behind the scenes – it was all unravelling.
The play was written through the eyes of Lena’s father Victor, sensitively portrayed by Alan McHugh.

Greenock Telegraph:


He looks back on a lifetime of regrets, of opportunities that he had, but failed, to put the brakes on the relentless showbiz rollercoaster spiralling out of control.
But he and his wife Hilda, amateur musicians/singers in their home town of Rothesay, were no match for ruthless agent Dorothy Solomon, perfectly nailed by Helen Logan.
She persuaded them to allow her to take Lena to London to stay with her as she groomed her for stardom.
It seems unimaginable to me that my 10-year-old son Peter is around the same age as Lena was when she left her home and family.
But Victor and Hilda thought they were doing the best for their daughter, giving her the chances they never had.
You also couldn’t help feel for Hilda, Julie Coombe who gave us laughs and pathos, as she battled her own demons.
Erin Armstrong is outstanding as Lena, capturing her bubbly personality, wonderful voice and stage presence.
Jon Culshaw is convincing as Hughie Green swapping the fake ‘most sincerely’ showtime host patter as sober narrator.
Little was known about anorexia nervosa then – it was flippantly dubbed ‘the slimmer’s disease’ but was in fact self-starvation, a deeply destructive psychological disorder.
Even doctors who knew what it was didn’t know how to treat it and anything linked with mental health in those days – unlike these ‘woke’ times was shrouded in stigma and shame.
Some people may think that Lena was a child star whose singing style fell out of fashion – causing her star to wane.
Not true – who knows what she could have achieved if she hadn’t become ill. Thanks to Erin, the fabulous cast, Tim Whitnall and the Beacon we got a glimpse of the future that was so cruelly taken from her.
The show is touring next year – don’t miss it.