(Photography by John McRae)
Barbra (no surname needed) is a divisive figure - too egocentric, too quirky, too much. But she's also one of the great modern divas with a distinctive personality, voice and approach. So a concert tribute to her doesn't sound like the worst idea in the world. And this is a group of talented performers putting their all into her songbook. Unfortunately, for me, it doesnt quite hit the heights, so much as the middles.
The general aesthetic feels very 1970s light-entertainment, of the type parodied by Gina Riley on "Fast Forward" when she was spoofing "The Saturday Show". The songlist, particularly in the back half, leans towards Barbra's more pop elements - "Funny Girl" gets 5 songs, but "Hello Dolly" only gets one, and there's nothing from "On a Clear Day You can See Forever" or "Funny Lady", or her broadway debut "I can get it for you wholesale" - a venue known for muscial theatre being this light on genuine musical theatre songs contributes to the "bitsy" nature of the concert. It also feels like the four talented performers - Tana Laga'aia, Laura Murphy, Stellar Perry and Brittanie Shipway - are having their very distinctive personalities swamped by Barbra - Laura Murphy is a performer who's idiosyncracies I loved in "Cry Baby" and "Shrek", and here despite showing off powerhouse pipes, she never gets to be the weirdo I wanted to see (if she'd been given "Miss Marmelstein" from "Wholesale", I bet she would have nailed it). It's well sung and mostly well delivered but it all feels a little too mid - only when it's hitting full pelt musical theatre power like a four-way-attack on "Don't Rain On My Parade" does it really feel as powerful as it's capable of being.
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