In 1999 the world grieved the loss of one of the UK’s most significant pop artists, Dusty Springfield. With a body of work full of emotive lyrics and haunting melodies, and a life that was simply fascinating, it’s no wonder that we have many tribute shows celebrating Dusty and a full-scale musical about her life. This tribute, however, is a little different. Rather than a performer taking on Dusty’s persona or even simply presenting a set of her songs, Preacher Man takes the approach of others’ perception of her, and the influence she had on the lives of her fans. The vehicle for this is three people standing in line on the day of Dusty’s funeral, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it passes by. These three strangers (Vanessa Shirley, Emma Gordon-Smith and Michael Bates) find connection and friendship based on their love of Dusty’s music and the impact she had on their childhoods, their love lives, and the solace her lyrics provided in heartbreak. It was refreshing to have a ‘tribute show’ presented in such a different way, and became a beautiful reminder of why we still love her music today. The show is expertly music directed by Ben Saunders, leading a small band that were tight and supported the songs without overpowering the story. The performers, though very diverse vocally, each brought their own spin to the tunes, from Vanessa Shirley’s powerhouse vocals, and Emma Gordon-Smith’s more mellow, soulful tones, to Michael Bates’ soaring tenor, presenting as solos, duets and trios Dusty’s iconic repertoire, including Wishin’ and Hopin’, The Look of Love, I Only Want To Be With You, and, of course, Son of a Preacher Man, to name a few. Vanessa and Michael in particular really showed their impressive acting chops through their characters and their consistent accent work. While next to these two experts Emma’s character felt a little stilted, she more than made up for this in her stunning vocals and engaging performance through the songs. All three performers had great energy despite the heat of the day, and really delivered the emotional journey of the show. Fans of Dusty Springfield and the music of the 60s will not be disappointed by this emotive show that truly honours the work of this remarkable woman.