The Divine Miss Bette
Created by Peter Cox. Starring Catherine Alcorn. Musical Director. Jeremy Brennan. Featuring Clare O'Connor and Sally Hare. The Q Theatre. Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. April 22 - 23. 2016
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
The Q Theatre exploded last
night. High notes were shattered. Decorum was devastated. The audiences
erupted. The band rocked. The backing singers sent sparks flying. The Musical
Director slid along the keys and in the middle of it all Catherine Alcorn blew
us away as the inimitable, saucy, raunchy songstress of seduction, sassiness
and explosive energy, the Divine Miss M.
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| Catherine Alcorn as The Divine Miss Bette Photo by Joel Devereaux |
I saw Bette Midler in concert in
Adelaide in the late Seventies, and Alcorn is all class, from Midler’s dress
clinging shuffle to her quick-lipped quips, her impish innuendos and a voice
that sweeps us along from soul to pop to rock, to blues and even a touch of
boogie. As I remember the divine Miss M has it all and doesn’t hold back to
flaunt it. Alcorn’s The Divine Miss Bette has Midler down to a
tee. The shuffling quick stepped walk, the cascading cleavage, the fiery red
hair and tight fitting dress that clings as she rolls across the floor. Alcorn
is the full-bodied Bette, but more than that she’s the chanteuse with a voice
that packs a wallop or reaches deep within the soul. She can titillate and
taunt, as well as sweep us away on wings beneath the wind as delicately as the
perfumed rose that makes us all want to stand by her, go her own way and
sing along. Alcorn is Midler and as she raises the roof with Stand By
Me, the audience in one impulsive show of admiration rise to their feet to give
this star impersonating a star a rousing standing ovation.
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| Clare O'Connor, Catherine Alcorn and Sally Hare in The Divine Miss Bette Photo by Joel Devereaux. |
As a tribute to Prince whose
unexpected death shocked fans across the world, Alcorn included tribute songs,
including Prince’s signature song Purple
Rain. It was a segment of deep respect for a magnificent artist. As well as capturing the
emotion of the event, this showed Alcorn’s remarkable range and talent as an
artist. The brassy brash cabaret
luminary does not forsake the essential power of Midler, the feminist icon with
the inclusion of Helen Reddy’s Angie Baby . Midler has always been her own
woman, hear her strong and Alcorn takes to the stage like a forceful whirlwind
of independent spirit. Her show is uplifting and life affirming, a force to be reckoned
with, bombarding us with irreverent humour and dazzling talent.
Encore upon encore followed the
curtain call unil the band and backing singers, Sally Hare and Clare O' Connor left the stage to Alcorn with musical director, Jeremy Brennan to offer
up a simple, gentle and captivating Wind Beneath My Wings. And the audience
left the theatre on a high, carried out by Alcorn’s brilliant homage to the Divine
Miss M.
I noticed that the two seats in
front of me were vacant after the interval. Surely it could not have been
because of Alcorn’s singing. She is simply superb, a gifted and exceptional
talent on the Australian stage with the charisma to conquer the world. It can’t
have been because of the band with Jamie Castrisos on drums, Tina Harris on bass and
Joey McCoy on guitar. They are terrific under the masterful direction of
Jeremy Brennan. The backing singers also keep the balance perfectly. O'Connor and Hare enter the madness of the moment with exuberance and
hold back to let the spotlight shine on the diva of the show.
Maybe it was the parade of Sophie
Tucker risqué witticisms that offended the propriety. In any case, whatever the reason, they missed the second half of an
unforgettable cabaret experience and the gilded opportunity to snap up a CD for
a mere $20 – a bargain at half the price.
Catherine Alcorn as the Divine
Miss Bette and her team rocked The Q from start to finish. A show predicted to
run from 8 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. finally came down at 10.15 p.m.. An adoring
audience cried for more and Alcorn delivered with gusto and unflailing energy.
If you read this before the end of its all too short season at 2 p.m. and 8
p.m. on April 23 and you live in the Canberra/Queanbeyan region, drop
everything and make it to The Q. This show should sell out many times over and
audiences deserve a treat as brilliant as this.
