HIGHS and lows of the turbulent life of the French singer, Edith Piaf - affectionately known as the Little Sparrow - are to be portrayed on stage at Kidderminster.

Pam Gems's hard-hitting play - Piaf - will be presented by Troika Productions at The Rose on Friday, September 16.

Laced with the haunting melodies made famous by the diva, the biographical work traces Piaf's progression from being a humble street performer to an international star.

Despite her meteoric rise, behind all the glitz and glamour of her later years lay a very different reality.

Hers was a life punctuated with prostitution, drug addiction, drunkenness, broken marriages, insecurity and heartbreak. All those factors contributed to her untimely death in 1963.

Amid all the tragedy, the play is also comic in places, distressing and heartrending in others, as the distinctive singer examines her past life, revisiting both her joys and sorrows.

Her evocative songs, including La Vie En Rose, Non Je Ne Regret Rien and Mon Dieu, become comments on her past life and prompt further recollections.

Piaf will be played by Margaret Griffiths, who is also the producer. She is part of an eight-strong cast.

Accordionist, Richard Adey, will provide accompaniment, recreating the atmosphere of a Piaf bistro performance. Musical direction is by Stephen Powell who will play keyboards.

Direction is by Stephen Barnes who previously directed the company's production of Death of a Salesman, which sold out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2003.

Tickets for Piaf are available through the Rose box office on 01562 743745.