Presented by Ashleigh Kreveld
Reviewed 23rd February 2017
Ambling down one of the side streets off Grote Street, one could easily be led to believe that they had walked into the 1950’s. The courtyard of La Boheme was adorned to resemble an old-style fairground, with multi-coloured light-bulbs suspended from twine, a rustic bar doing service out of a period shed, and sketches of women with vintage can-can dresses covering the walls. It is up a dimly-lit staircase from this location, that one finds an intimate Parisian-style venue, a perfect scene to host Frankly Winehouse.
Enter Amy Winehouse. With her brazen British accent, heavy make-up, winged eyeliner, period polka-dot dress and petticoat, a mouthful of gum, her trademark ‘F**k Me Pumps’ and, of course, her iconic long, black beehive hair style, Ashleigh Kreveld does a commendable job of paying homage to the troubled super-star.
Kreveld’s appearance is far from where her similarity to Winehouse stopped. Accompanied by a skillful pianist, her raw and emotive contralto vocals totally encapsulated the tonal quality that the world fell in love with. Kreveld gave admirable renditions of Winehouse’s hits, such as: I Heard Love Is Blind, amusingly recounting a one night stand while her husband Blake was in jail; Back to Black, portraying Winehouse’s return to drink and drugs after Blake divorced her; and Rehab, depicting Winehouse’s refusal to enter a rehabilitation clinic. Emphasis was also given to many of Winehouse’s renowned covers, such as: Carole King’s powerful Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, and The Zuton’s Valerie, providing a hearty sing-along from the full house.
Unfortunately, however, it was often only a mere verse and chorus of each of these songs that was played, with more attention being given to Krevelds stand-up patter. Whilst this spiel gave a remarkable insight into the pop-stars life, and particularly her strggle with addictions to various substances, the singing almost became second-place, despite it being the reason that many of the audience were in attendance. This, at times, became so frustrating that audience members were heckling, calling out for her to ‘shut up and sing!’. Her dialogue was often awkward and evidently scripted, and as such, personal jokes were often lost on audience members. In fact, some of the funniest moments of dialogue came when Kreveld moved away from trivia, and interacted with the audience.. although it was the crowd that had to initiate this interaction with the singer, rather than the other way around.
The set-up was perfect and simple: a mic stand, a stool and a keyboard. This meant that full focus could be given to Kreveld. Lighting was, too, completely uncomplicated, merely featuring adjustments of the brightness of the wash to indicate changes in time and mood, whilst still not distracting from the singer.
If you love Amy Winehouse and want to learn more of the singer’s background and personal life, then Frankly Winehouse is hands-down the show for you. If you love Amy Winehouse’s music, by all means, you will enjoy this show… but be prepared to purchase a couple of albums on the way home.
Reviewed by Ben Francis
Rating out of 5: 3.5
Venue: La Boheme – Upstairs
Season: February 23rd – February 26th
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25/$20
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/frankly-winehouse
https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
http://www.franklywinehouse.com
https://www.facebook.com/franklywinehouse
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