Supported by her first class trio ensemble, the incandescent Ali McGregor is smokin’ hot cabaret perfection.She certainly has the vocal chops. Sadly, for opera lovers, McGregor has moved away from her former life as Opera Australia’s principal soprano and has metamorphosed into a stunning cabaret Diva. Diva in the very best sense of the word for, not only does McGregor have an exceptional voice, but she is a gifted performer; a true entertainer, with the joie de vivre reminiscent of Geraldine Turner.
McGregor’s Alchemy involves the mixing of two of her great loves. She takes some of her favourite pop and rap songs, mostly from the 1980s and 90s (Soft Cell, Madonna, Michael Hutchence, Radiohead and even Britney Spears) and sings them as the great women of jazz from the 1930s to 50s (Ella, Billie, Nina, Sarah) might have sung them.
The real alchemy, however, is the marriage of this idea with the superb performing skills of Ali McGregor and the staggeringly clever arrangements by Sam Keevers, the Musical Director, who is also the pianist. Keevers isn’t content to recreate these pop tunes as piano bar jazz standards; he reanimates them so they go way beyond the novelty of the idea and stand as valid reinterpretations. Some of them surpass the original, with a greater complexity and inventiveness.
Each song is given a different treatment and it seems there are no bounds to McGregor’s versatility as a singer and Keevers’ arrangements. The Fine Young Cannibals’ Johnny Come Home is sung to a strong rhythm that transports us to a German cabaret of the 1930s, while a Prodigy medley is more reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters. Madonna’s La Isla Bonita takes the original song to its logical conclusion, giving it an even stronger Samba sensibility.
You might think that some songs, like Barbie Girl (“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world”), are just not worthy of a homage, but McGregor delivers them with the right dose of irony and sense of fun. This one is a mashup with a slow, jazzy version of Makin’ Whoopee, made popular by Eddie Cantor. It’s funny, but also clever and musically marvellous.
McGregor describes Sam Keevers as a “serious musician” and he really is, but so are the other two members of the ensemble. Led by Keevers on piano, with Jonathan Zwartz on double bass and Tim Firth on drums, they gave an outstanding performance which was tight and polished. Set on the small bare stage of The Hayes Theatre, the wine dark lighting with pin lights sparkling from the backdrop, create a sense of intimacy.
The wonderful thing about McGregor is that she offers the whole package. Her voice is a knock out. Velvety, husky, raunchy and pure: McGregor does it all effortlessly and with terrific sense of adventure. It is so enjoyable to anticipate where she will go within a song. And there is a great versatility between songs. One minute her sound references Garland, the next it is reminiscent of Bassey, and the next minute she is rapping like the best of them. McGregor knows that cabaret is not just about having a sensational voice, however, and she also knows the power of a little bit of glitter and a gorgeous frock. A born entertainer, McGregor’s warmth, humour, cleverness and spontaneity instantly engages with the audience.
McGregor finished the night with two stellar numbers: penultimately with a torch song version of Radiohead’s Creep and finally with Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang. The lights went down after that and we all went home, but none of us really wanted to. We actually wanted to stay and watch the show all over again.
Working Management in association with Hayes Theatre Co. presents
Ali McGregor in Alchemy
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co.
Dates: Tuesday 21– Sunday 26 April 2015
Times: Tuesday 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday 8pm, Sunday 6pm
Tickets: $50.00
Bookings:hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337
