The sound, power and spirit of Whitney Houston comes back to life through the talents of Gospo Collective.
The choral ensemble, existing at the intersection of African rhythm, western harmony, hymns and hip hop – pay homage to a music legend, joined by Empire Dance Studio.
'Whitney, The Greatest Love Of All' will be presented as part of Adelaide Fringe – a place Gospo Collective have already celebrated acclaimed, sell-out seasons with their engaging blend of choreography and live vocals.
This show is led and directed by powerhouse and Gospo Collective Director Charmaine Jones, who is well-known for her mesmerising performances, unique, clever musical arrangements and inspiring vocal teaching style.
We chat to Charmaine Jones about the production before it hits the stage at Adelaide Fringe.
Tell us a bit about this show.
‘Whitney, The Greatest Love Of All’ is a one-hour, packed, vocal extravaganza with back-to-back, mashups and medleys of all the tunes you know and love from the Queen of the Night herself, Whitney Houston. It features a frontline of eight phenomenal vocalists (Katie Moore, Laura Knowling, Georgia Bancroft, Kelvin Maynes, Joanna Tropeano, Charlotte Eston, Amy Doecke, Ellie Katsaparas), a glorious backing choir of 40+ singers from all walks of life and their strong section leaders (Kerry Wilson, Maeghann Knott, Bode Li) and a five-piece band with some of the best instrumentalists in the southern hemisphere (Ben Todd, Milush Piochaud, Paul Kolomitsev, Tyler Jay, Brandon Bartholomeuz). This year, Gospo is joined by dancers from Empire Dance Studio, (Ryan and Angela Marveggio) taking the show to another level of epic.
And how about Gospo Collective – what should audiences know about Gospo Collective?
Gospo Collective is a vocal orchestra. It is made up of a variety of vocalists from all around South Australia and beyond, with members travelling from interstate to be part of this incredible choral community. Their performances are elevating and stylish, contemporary and modern. They make choir cool. There’s an individuality about Gospo in the delivery of their performances and the musical arrangements. Cleverly segued tunes, combined with interesting lyrical twists and turns within call and responses, moving shout choruses, and moments of orchestral vocalisation that transform the ‘mere singer/chorister’ into being an instrumentalist of extreme dexterity and passionately expressed precision.
What makes Whitney such an iconic musical figure?
Whitney was way ahead of her time in many ways. She was a natural talent and a trailblazer as well as being a ‘product’ of the music industry, or rather what they wanted her to represent. She was a feisty yet delicate soul with the ability to move the spirit of someone watching or listening to her sing. Her vocal qualities have not rivalled a singer to date, with her unique approaches to phrasing, texture, melisma, rhythm, and nuance.
This is a reimagined season of the sell-out show from last year. What do you think audiences loved so much about it in 2023?
Audiences loved the ability to reminisce on an era of music that has not ever been replicated again by another artist. The music of Whitney Houston is so iconic. It can take you back to a moment in time, bring a memory to the fore, take you through the ups and downs and the highs and lows of love and what love means, by listening to the lyrics, sentiment or delivery of the song in question. The unique Gospo take, on one legendary singer's stamp on the world, is refreshing and revitalising. It not only allows time for reminiscing but also space to be excited by new ways of exploring and hearing the music one has heard and enjoyed before, many times.
What was the biggest reward of presenting it at Adelaide Fringe the first time?
The reward is always the audience's pleasure. The way they smile, cry, sit glued to the edge of their seats, in rapture, or, reflection, query even. . . At the end of the day all we want to do as performers, is to ‘move you’. Move you to think, see, hear, imagine – in a different way.
And what are you most looking forward to about the reimagined version?
Everything is a little bit different. From our marketing designs, and costuming, to the arrangements, the soloists, the band line-up, to the whole general feel of the show. It’s a different dynamic and it’s been great to have new people come into the Gospo family and add their creativity and skill set. For example, our design work from Mark Woodward, along with admin from Fiona Stafford who is an original Adelaide girl but, now works in the arts industry in Melbourne. It’s also going to be great to have Joanna Tropeano back on the stage for the entire season rather than as a guest. She is a solid feature in the Gospo Collective and her regular presence was something the whole team missed in the last season. Joanna is my sister and this dynamic family duo certainly feeds audiences with a level of energy that is unmatched.
What’s your favourite Whitney song to perform, and why?
It’s hard to pick a favourite tune. There are so many bangers when it comes to the music of Whitney Houston. ‘I'm Your Baby Tonight’ would be a favourite among all of the vocalists involved in the show. The other one we love to sing is a signature tune from The Bodyguard, ‘Run To You’. But then there is an old school style cracker, ‘He’s All Over Me’ from 'The Preacher's Wife' album/movie that gets us all rockin’.
Describe the show using a Whitney song lyric.
'A strong but still, resilient voice, says hope is very near. . .'
- 'When You Believe', Whitney and Mariah duet.
'Whitney, The Greatest Love Of All' plays The Flamingo at Gluttony – Rymill Park (Adelaide Fringe) 27 February-11 March.
