Lisa Budin Price,
singer
Queanbeyan
Bicentennial Hall
18 February
Reviewed by Len Power
Siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter were known for their distinctive
soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's arranging
and composition skills. During their
14-year career, they recorded ten albums, selling more than 90 million records
worldwide. Their career together ended
in 1983 when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of
anorexia. Their music continues to be
enjoyed by fans around the world.
In her show, ‘Remembering The Carpenters’, Canadian-born
singer, Lisa Budin Price, pays tribute to the music of the Carpenters. She has a fine voice and pleasant, easy-going
personality. She performs the songs very
well and is supported by a four piece band and one female backup singer.
In an almost two hour show, highlights amongst the songs
presented included ‘For All We Know’, ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’, ‘Rainy Days and
Mondays’, ‘Close To You’ and ‘Top Of The World’.
The four band members and female backup singer gave Lisa
Budin Price fine support. Especially
notable was Craig Walters with his expert flute and saxophone playing.
The show did not play well as a theatre presentation. Random anecdotes about the Carpenters were
presented but it lacked dramatic continuity which could have lifted the show to
a higher level. The Carpenters’ career
was an interesting one that ultimately ended in tragedy. A well-written, compelling narrative accompanying
the songs would have been more effective.
A distracting slide show projected on screens both sides of
the stage during the show appeared to be the singer’s personal photos from a
visit to a 50th anniversary of the Carpenters music in Los Angeles. They were mostly of poor quality and of
little relevance to the show. Audience
participation moments in the show also lacked imagination.
This tribute show was entertaining musically but needed
better production values for a theatre presentation.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.
‘Theatre of Power’, a
regular podcast on Canberra’s performing arts scene with Len Power, can be
heard on Spotify, ITunes and other selected platforms.