Audiences revelled in the wondrous songs of ethereal pop artist Kate Bush, when Electric Moon premiered their new stage show, ‘In the Warm Room: The Music of Kate Bush 1978-1980’ at the 2017 Queensland Cabaret Festival.
A major concert work showcasing key songs from albums ‘The Kick Inside’, ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Never For Ever’, the production featured eight seasoned cabaret performers (four male, four female) and a 10-piece band who reinterpreted and reimagined the songs in a theatrical live performance setting. And boy what a show it was!
Kicking off proceedings was Brisbane’s Josh Daveta, whose flawless falsetto matched Kate’s vocal heights note-for-note in ‘Moving’; allaying any fears I held of a male singer pulling off a Kate track. Equally entrancing was his faithful rendition of ‘Oh To Be In Love’ later in the show.
Festival Director, Alison St Ledger, was mesmerising during her performances of ‘Wow’ and ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’. Introducing the latter as not only her favourite song of Kate’s but her favourite song of all, Alison channelled her muse not only with her impressive vocal range, but also via little nods to Kate’s signature dance moves.
Bringing a touch of vaudeville to the stage was award-winning Australian actor/singer and contemporary performance maker, Sandro Colarelli, whose camp Dracula come ‘Rocky Horror’ Transylvanian persona was a clear crowd favourite. ‘Hammer Horror’ was the perfect song choice to showcase Sandro’s flair for drama, while ‘Oh England My Lionheart’ revealed his tender tones.
Unlike the simple and repetitive verse/chorus/verse/chorus formula of most modern music, Kate’s songs take the listener on a complex, winding and intimate journey. Lucinda Shaw’s performances of ‘The Kick Inside’ and ‘Breathing’ honoured this art of storytelling, and her fierce stage presence and compelling eye contact made for stellar performances.
Lisa Crawley shone in her second song of the night – the sultry ‘In The Warm Room’ – while SS.Sebastian was the perfect choice for the minstrel style of ‘Ran Tan Waltz’.
The standout performer of the night for me however was siren Bethan Ellsmore, whose exquisite voice pulled me in whether she was singing backup or holding the floor on her first solo, ‘Feel It’.
With the clock ticking, the suspense was mounting as to which of the fine ensemble would take on Kate’s two biggest hits. While not my first (or second or third) choice, Daniel Hack did an admirable job performing ‘Babooshka’, however it was Bethan’s performance of Kate’s masterpiece ‘Wuthering Heights’ that was the perfect pièce de résistance to the show. Hearing it played by a 10-piece band and sung by a singer who did the song 100 per cent justice is as close as I’ll ever get to seeing the legendary enigma that is Kate Bush.
Thank you Electric Moon.
