Presented by Eden Espinoza and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Reviewed Thursday 14th June 2012
Eden Espinoza is best known for playing the role of Elphaba in Wicked, on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco. Her opening number in her concert was Defying Gravity, from that same musical, following which she cheekily announced that, that had got that out of the way. Accompanied by her Musical Director and husband, Joseph Abate, on piano, and a group of local musicians whom she referred to as The Wallabies, she takes us on a tour of her musical theatre career. The Wallabies were, in fact, James Clark on cello, Mike Bevan on guitar, Alana Dawes on bass, back from the USA just to play for some of the performers in the Festival, and Enrico Morena on drums. Just like every previous year, overseas visitors have remarked on the amazingly high quality of our local musicians, and this was no exception.
From the famous, such as I’m Not That Girl, also from Wicked, to the hardly known, failed musical, Brooklyn, with Once upon a Time, her concert covered a lot of ground. I say concert because, like many of this year’s shows, it was not really a cabaret performance, not that this detracted in any way from the enjoyment of the music.
She visited Next to Normal, a musical about mental health that was produced here recently at the State Opera Studio, sang One Song, Glory from Rent and also a number from Ghost, along with many more. I have to admit, though, that I was not enamoured by the high powered, driving rock version of Stephen Sondheim’s beautiful number, Not While I’m Around, from Sweeney Todd. In fairness, however, she did offer an apology for her version of this number, afterwards.
This was a great concert that gave Espinosa ample opportunity to display the range of her musical interests as well as show the enormous range of her voice and her ability to encompass so many different styles.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.
Cabaret Festival web site – Eden Espinosa
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: to 15th June 2012
Duration: 1hr 10mins
Tickets: $44.90 to $54.90
Bookings: BASS 13 12 46 or here
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