Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed 19 June 2021
So many Australian families watched the Young Talent Time show from its inception in 1971, in black and white, to its final episode in colour aired in 1988. 18 years in which it launched numerous careers and entertained a nation. That sort of record is worth celebrating – and celebrate they did!
Of course, many of the most famous of the team were unable to be involved: Debbie Byrne, Danni Minogue, Jamie Redfern, Sally Boyden and Tina Arena to mention a few. Some working elsewhere and some like Johnny Bowles were overseas and unable to return due to Covid. Bowles did send a message to the fans though saying how much he wished he could be there. Those team members may have been missed but the show did not suffer for lack of talent.
Introduced by the enduring Johnny Young the memories flooded fast, fed by the huge screen showing snippets of the show, before and during the interval, and each member was introduced with a flashback to their time on the show. The entire production was backed by a very tight band, led by former talent team member Greg Mills. All the performers gave us at least two songs and supported one another in other pieces. I won’t give you a run down of all the numbers, if you want you can purchase the DVD from the website (but it won’t be as good as being there). There are, however, a few special moments that I need to mention. Jane Scali is as beautiful as ever and still sings and moves like we remember. Larena Novoa is full of energy and sparkles the way she always did. The version of Mac the Knife by Bevan Addinsal, Steven Zammit and Joey Dee had the whole place swinging. Phillip Gould brought us a bit of West End magic with his songs from musicals. Nicole Cooper had the place bouncing with a medley of Abba songs (with much audience participation).
One of the highlights was most definitely the wonderful voice of Karen Knowles with a version of I am Australian which had the entire audience joining her in the chorus; also the charming version of Send in the Clowns by Jane Scali and Steven Zammit (you could have heard a pin drop). Bevan Addinsal at the piano led the whole cast with a spinechilling version of You’ve Got a Friend.
Johnny Young gave us some of the songs he has penned over the years, including Smiley (about Normie Rowe) and the one he wrote for Lionel Rose, Thank You. His voice is still strong, and his charm is still disarming. The team obviously feel love for this man. These former team members have a strong bond, and it shows when they sing together, like with the inevitable We Are Family. They charmed us, they rocked us and the audience was with them every step of the way right up to the final famous All My Loving. No one wanted the night to end, they gave us a wonderful look at some fond memories. Sorry you missed it!
Rating out of 5: 5
Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds
Season Ended – One Night Only
Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre, Johnny Young, Young Talent Time
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