Cabaret Festival

Sherie Rene Scott – 2012 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Presented by the Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Reviewed Friday 22nd June 2012

Sherie Rene Scott first appeared on the Broadway stage in 1993 in The Who’s Tommy, later replacing a cast member in Grease, and then appearing as Maureen in Rent. Her first lead role was as Amneris in Aida; the modern version by Sir Elton John and Tim Rice, not the opera by Guiseppe Verdi. She also created her own show, Everyday Rapture, about her life from her youth in Kansas and her journey to Broadway.

This performance, however, is very different. It is her first cabaret performance but, for those who were expecting to hear a lot of show tunes, there were some very exciting and rewarding surprises in store. Her Adelaide performance is a world première, combining music and comedy, with a surreal dialogue linking the songs. She blends an exploration of opposable thumbs, conversations with the Dalai Lama in which she accuses him of copying her, lapsed vegetarianism, and advice on life from Sir Paul McCartney.

The songs were an unusually diverse mix, with arrangements that changed them considerably from their original versions. She opened her show with a terrific rendition of 5 Years Time by the British indie band, Noah and the Whale, followed by All I Want, originally recorded by Joni Mitchell. Her marvellous voice and the excellent arrangements combine to make these songs so amazingly fresh and new that it takes a moment or two to realise that you know them. Her voice is an incredibly versatile and expressive instrument that she applies with great individuality to each number.

She was accompanied by her musical director, composer, Todd Almond on piano, and by popular Adelaide bassist Alana Dawes, back from the USA just for this festival. These two could have been playing together for years, judging by the close rapport that they established. Scott obviously observed this, too, and was most complementary.

Paul McCartney’s It’s Another Day was then given a very Baroque treatment on the verse, and became a moody slow ballad on the chorus, with a segue into an initially straight, then swinging version of Are You Havin’ Any Fun by Sammy Fain and Jack Yellin, from The George White Scandals of 1939. I did mention that the selection was eclectic. The Dadaist narrative evolved and the songs continued to surprise and delight, showing clearly that, although it was her first cabaret performance, she had done her research into the genre and its 100 odd years of history. There was even one of Almond’s own songs, and a moving version of Buddy Holly’s I Guess it Doesn’t Matter Anymore. There was the odd show tune, of course, such as Nothing is Too Wonderful to be True, from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, of which she gave a deeply meaningful interpretation for the final number.

It was obvious that there were many of her fans in the audience, and that they were all loving every moment of a different side of this Broadway star. Her engaging, personal and captivating performance captured the true spirit of cabaret, so often lacking this year. There will be many hoping for her to visit again.

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.

Cabaret Festival web site – Sherie Rene Scott

Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: ended
Duration: 1hr 10min

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