The Australian Barbra Streisand Show is as divine as Streisand herself
Presented by: Markus Presents
Reviewed: 14 September, 2024
Rachael Grace is probably the biggest Barbra Streisand fan you could ever meet. By the age of 12 she had pretty much memorised Streisand’s entire catalogue and studied in detail all of her films. On the back of that, Rachael has developed one of the best Barbra Streisand shows you could see. Never once does Grace step into an impersonation, but simply pays tribute to one of the greatest and most influential singers of our time. The Australian Barbra Streisand Show is as divine as Streisand herself.
Grace’s voice is simply sublime and is perfectly suited to Streisand’s music. She has the most warm tone that melts your heart, and her phrasing is exquisite. Grace slips between genres with such ease and her diction is clear — especially in the faster jazz numbers, such as Lover, Come Back to Me.
With over six decades of music to select from, Grace has refined a brilliant 2 hour celebration of Streisand’s legacy to the music industry. The Australian Barbra Streisand Show is a cross section of Streisand’s works, covering early jazz Barbra, broadway Barbra, film Barbra, classic Barbra…and, of course, daggy disco Barbra.
The show opened with Woman In Love from Streisand’s 1980 album Guilty. From there, the hits just kept rolling in, including some special covers of numbers like Cry Me A River (which Streisand performed on the Ed Sullivan Show), All In Love Is Fair. Standouts would have to include Papa Can You Hear Me, My Man and the Streisand and Judy Garland duet Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again, which Grace sang with her backing vocalist Kara Ciezki. The performance ended with the much anticipated Don’t Rain On My Parade.
Grace was backed by a brilliant band, featuring John Thorn on piano, Darren Farrugia on drums, Adrian Close on electric and double bass and Kara Ciezki on backing vocals. This fine group of musicians weaved between the expansive set list with ease. Streisand’s music is usually full of lush, orchestral strings, but the way Thorn, Farrugia and Close worked together they created such a rich tapestry of sound for Grace to sing to. At times, Ciezki’s voice provided more than just your standard backing vocals. She would take on some of the orchestral motives, adding to the already magical performance.
This was Rachael Grace’s first time performing The Australian Barbra Streisand Show in Adelaide, but judging from the audience’s reaction, it won’t be the last. Grace is an exceptional performer and one to watch.
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Photo credit: AK Kelly – Adelaide the city of Festivals
Venue: The Regal Theatre, Kensington
Season: ended
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