Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed 18 June 2017
Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Adelaide. At least for one night.
Cab Fest director Ali McGregor pulled together a bevy of festival artists last night, to pay homage to the master of the chanson.
Opening proceedings, McGregor gave us a powerful rendition of Carousel, the English version of La Valse a Mille Temps. She also closed the night with the anthem Quand On N’a Que L’amour [If We Only Have Love].
A variety of artists allowed for a breadth of interpretations: Eddi Perfect gave us his machismo-driven version of Le Port d’Amsterdam; Johanna Allen sat quietly and held the audience in her palm with Les Vieux Amants; Kim Smith gave us a beautifully measured Les Vieux; Dusty Limits delivered a lovely Jacky;and Meow Meow belted out Au Suivant. Her second number, the seminal Ne Me Quitte Pas, was, however, a sour note to the night. She is a strong stage presence, with a great voice. But referring to this song as “a tired old number” is totally inappropriate in a tribute show, as well as a questionable judgement. She turned it into a comedy turn, which was just awkward and uncomfortable.
Stand out performer of the night was the wonderful Michaela Burger, with Les Bourgeois and Jef. Renowned for her performances as Piaf, Burger speaks and sings impeccable French, and has an understanding of the chanson tradition that is second-to-none. Her two performances were perfection. I would love to see her do an entire night of Brel.
At the centre of the evening was the band: Emma Perkins,Stephanie Waterhouse, Vashti Tyrell,Tim Bowen and John McDermott, all under the expert musical direction of Charly Zastrau. This was one of the tightest musical performances I’ve seen at Cab Fest in the last three years and they fully deserved their rousing applause.
This was a sparkling evening of myriad talents, celebrating one of the fathers of modern song. Bravo!
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
Rating out of 5: 5
Season Ended – one night only:
https://www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au
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