ACCLAIMED singer and songwriter Kate Dimbleby visits the Ustinov Studio next week, exploring the extraordinary songbook and life of cult songwriter Dory Previn.

Dory was the queen of 70’s confessional songwriters, married to composer Andre Previn who famously left her for a young Mia Farrow. She died on Valentine’s Day 2012, 40 years after the release of her most successful album Mythical Kings and Iguanas. From a traumatic childhood to Hollywood scandal and her subsequent mental breakdown, Dory used music to write herself sane and sought solace in uncompromising tales of love and loneliness. This tender look at Dory’s life, and the music that marked it, showcases her little-known musical legacy of stunning songs that will resonate with all who hear them.

Kate Dimbleby and pianist Naadia Sheriff, whose album of Dory’s songs was chosen by The Sunday Times as one of the Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2012, have performed on Jools Holland, Woman’s Hour and Radio 3’s In Tune. Here they tell Dory’s story with a wide selection of hits including Lady with the Braid and Beware of Young Girls – the most potent of revenge songs about the elfin Mia Farrow – as well as the uproarious gospel number Did Jesus Have a Baby Sister? Directed by award-winning Cal McCrystal, Who is Dory Previn? combines Dory’s razor sharp wit with songs that come straight from the heart to reveal the fascinating life story of this under-appreciated songwriter whose raw emotional work is still relevant today.

Who is Dory Previn? is at the Ustinov Studio on Saturday 16th January at 8pm. Tickets priced at £14 / £12 discounts are available from the Box Office on 01225 448844 or online from www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ustinov