Review: War tunes hit the right notes
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 6:13PM
War Notes
The Spiegeltent at The Garden of Unearthly Delights
Until 13th March
By Lena Nobuhara
War tunes from bygone era punctuated by letters from fallen soldiers in the modern times does sound a little heavy, but reserve your judgement - this is a little gem of a show. A young English songbird Lili La Scala, who literally sports two blue bird tattoos on both arms, is a picture of elegance in a classy black dress and pearls.
Her repertoire spans both World Wars, but recorded readings of poignant notes written by soldiers who perished in the Middle East bring home the relevance of the subject matter in the present day.
She switches between vintage songs written by the likes of Ivor Novello, George Formby Jr and Glenn Miller and the recorded notes. In the deeply moving letters, husbands and a son affirm their love as well as the pain of leaving them behind to their partners and mother. The songs and the notes blend seamlessly despite the generation gaps.
La Scala’s crystal-clear soprano glides through the crowd favourites as well as lesser-known numbers she discovered in a pile of records at vintage shops, including one from Coffs Harbour. She sings ‘When the Poppies Bloom Again’ and ‘We’ll Meet Again’ with sincere bitter-sweetness of a woman who endures the absence of her loved one. Her rendition of ‘Moonlight Serenade’ is sublime and dreamy – it’s a standout performance. ‘Mr Wu’s Is Now an Air Raid Warden’ does have politically incorrect lyrics with a racist twist that she alerts us about, but it’s endearing and comical - and no one seems to mind.
The audience is somewhat subdued, possibly due to the sombre theme and the ‘we need love and peace’ message at the end is delivered too hastily, making it sound as though it was stuck on as an afterthought. And it is a shame. That said, it’s still a charming show and her angelic voice is worth the ticket price.
War Notes
Venue: The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Spiegeltent
13 March @ 5.30pm
A $24/C $20
Book at FringeTIX (1300-FRINGE) or click here.
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Other cabaret shows featured in Adelaide Fringe 2010:
Women - is your orgasm all in HIS mind?
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide (Except for Melissa, Mark and Libby)
Ali McGregor in ‘Jazz Cigarette’
Grocery Girls Gone Wild OR Lock Up Your Porters
Nikki Aitken Presents - Cabaret Live and Kicking
Isabel Hertaeg - Dangerous Dinner Party Guest
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