I have seen a lot of bio/tribute shows over the years. Madeleine Wighton’s show A LIFE HALF LIVED : THE NATALIE WOOD STORY stands tall amongst them.

Wighton comes on to the stage as Natalie Wood. We learn a lot about Wood, She was born to Russian parents who had emigrated to the States. The name  Natalie Wood was her stage name.Her actual name : Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko. A Hollywood producer gave her her stage name.

Her mother was a very pushy mother, determined that Natalie would have a career as an actress in Hollywood. She was something of a prodigy. She began acting in films at age 4 and was given a co-starring role at age 8 in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.

Wood struggled to break free from her mother’s dominance. Her mother viciously broke up a relationship with a guy that she was developing.  She felt fragile and  felt like a puppet whose strings were pulled by her mother.

Wood starred in the movie ‘West Side Story’ and did all the singing for the part, she was  very serious about her singing, but then found out that her singing was dubbed over, She was deeply hurt.

She had  three marriages, one with Robert Wagner who was known as RJ which ended up with divorce, a marriage to Richard Gregson which ended with divorce and then she remarried Wagner. She had two children, daughters who she loved dearly.

The show is filled with information about Wood’s life. Wighton intersperses her story with appropriate popular song, very well sung.

The show reaches its pinnacle when she recounts the story of her death. At first Wood’s death was considered an accidental death however new evidence has come in and there is the suspicion of foul play with the finger being pointed toward Robert Wagner. Police have said that he is a person of interest though no charges have been laid.

I  found it fascinating evening and was very impressed by Natalie Wighton’s performance and the way she structured her show.

This play played as part of the Bondi Theatre Company’s current season of plays.

A LIFE HALF LIVED : THE NATALIE WOOD STORY sadly played for one night only on Saturday 19th October, 2019. This play is worthy of  further life.