American actress, singer and impressionist Christina Bianco will bring classic renditions and jaw-dropping impressions of the world's favourite divas to Sydney Opera House.
'O Come All Ye Divas!' is a show not only featuring music but also filled with games, sketches and more as Christina takes on the roles of Celine Dion, Adele, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Britney Spears and more.
Here, Christina lists five of her favourite moments from some of the world's favourite divas.
Liza Minnelli’s 'New York New York', 1986 Giants Stadium
This is the big one for me. Even people who don’t like Liza Minnelli (sacrilege!) can’t help but be affected by this performance. It’s the ultimate diva moment. The venue is outrageously grand, with spectacular lighting and a sold-out crowd. A crowd of people who weren’t necessarily there to see her – but she lit the place on fire with her energy and had everyone completely in the palm of her hand. Her love of performing and love of this song is contagious! Plus, she’s gives us all the iconic physical and vocal Liza-isms you could ever want – in a red sequin jumpsuit! The song also has three endings. I repeat. Three!
Whitney Houston’s 'National Anthem' at the 1991 Super Bowl
This is the gold standard. Even today, every performance of the anthem is compared to Whitney’s. Her vocals alone were reason enough to make it the hit single it became. But the performance happened to come at a particularly sensitive time in America, at the onset of the Persian Gulf War. This musical moment helped bring an entire nation together. For me, I also love how she didn’t over do it with riffs or melismas. She respected the sentiment and let the melody and lyrics shine through. And that voice…. I’m tearing up typing this. Her legacy lives on.
This is the stuff diva dreams are made of. Two powerhouse vocalists – one whose career was winding down, the other whose career was taking off – come together to sing a medley of songs they’ve each had successes with. Judy and Barbra could not be more different performers, but they clearly had respect and admiration for each other. Maybe a little bit of healthy jealousy too! I first saw this at age nine while watching ‘Nick At Night,’ Little did I know this iconic, diva moment would be forever burned in my brain. So much so, that I often perform this number impersonating both women, as a duet with myself.
Celine Dion’s 'All By Myself' at The 1997 Grammys
I’m not gonna say much about this because I love it a little too much. To me, Celine is simply the best there is and this is proof. Everyone knows how difficult this song is and even under pressure, she performs it with such ease and command. Here, in a room full of her peers, many of whom who only call themselves singers, she gracefully showed them how it was done – completely schooling an entire generation of vocalists! Signature chest pounds and all!
Shirley Bassey’s 'Goldfinger' at Royal Albert Hall, 1974
Shirley has performed this song at pretty much every prestigious venue around the world, but this particular rendition takes the cake for me. She’s clearly having the time of her life, playing with the song and her audience. It’s inspiring to see an artist take a song they’ve sung countless times and interpret it differently, infusing it with something fresh and new. And then of course, she sings it with the power and ridiculous range we know and love. The way she changes the ending and pauses before the final ‘gold’…That's a true diva moment to me!
'O Come All Ye Divas!' plays Sydney Opera House 13-15 December.
