Melbourne Reviews

Photo – Dylan Evans

Being a child of the 80s, I’ve discovered that my generation doesn’t have many musical icons. From the rock and roll of the 50s to the punk infused 70s, those who grew up with the likes of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys have been denied a general lack of great bands and singers with the capacity to be legends.

And then there was Adele. A soulful voice beyond her years and poetic lyrics that reach right through the core of human emotion, it is no wonder she has become the Grammy winning, globally adored icon of our times.

Naomi Price has captured the songstress’s spirit in her sixty-minute cabaret Rumour has it, and managed to balance the humour and the honesty that makes Adele such a likeable and accessible character.

Blowing the audience away with a powerful set of lungs, Price has all the talent of the golden globe winner and kept the hits rolling throughout the performance. In what could have easily become an “Adele tribute show” or a concert of the British belters’ best hits, Price toes the line between beautiful arrangements and classic storytelling.

Joined on stage by Tom Oliver on back-up vocals, the easy humour between Price and the musicians made it ever more enjoyable to watch. Touching on Adele’s upbringing (a father that abandoned her) and her fear of becoming another statistic in her neighborhood of teenage mothers, Price is a voice of a generation as Adele.

Price is excellent with words and weaves a story so rich that you are immediately drawn in to her (and Adele’s) world. From being teased for being a “fat ginger” to having her heart broken, Adele is someone many can relate to.

Most poignantly, Price reminds the audience of another British singer, both soulful and tragically taken too soon. Amy Winehouse, for all her faults and rejections of “Rehab” was unlike any performer Generation Y had experienced.

Price is a gifted singer, honest actress and stunning storyteller. She can bring the house down with her powerful vocals and cracking good humour. Price is glorious fun and will leave the audience smiling as she smashes through Adele’s soundtrack with the respect and honesty you would expect from the cabaret scenes crème de la crème of talent.


the little red company presents
Rumour Has It – 60 minutes inside Adele
co-devisors Naomi Price & Adam Brunes

Venue: Chapel off Chapel, Prahran VIC
Dates: 8 – 10 February, 2013
Tickets: $27.50
Bookings: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au