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| Photo: Gabi Bergman |
by Simon Phillips
Following the success of her previous, sold-out one-woman shows, Pennsylvania Avenue, The Show Goes On, and Songs for Nobodies (a hit in both Australia and London), Bernadette Robinson is returning to Australian stages with the World Premiere of her post-pandemic solo tour-de-force, DIVAS.
DIVAS will open at QPAC, Brisbane on 20 July then travel to Sydney Opera House opening 3 August then to Fairfax Studio, Melbourne from 24 August 2023. The is an in-depth, full-on musical journey through the repertoire of ten of our greatest popular music divas including Edith Piaf, Amy Winehouse, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand, Maria Callas, Kate Bush, Dolly Parton, Karen Carpenter, Miley Cyrus and Judy Garland. Robinson will inhabit their most famous songs and their musings on life, music, audiences and their individual challenges and triumphs.
With backing from a band of superb musicians and Simon Phillips’ masterful direction, Robinson’s audacious and dramatic vocal evocations of each of the DIVAS will dazzle and delight.
How has it been working on the show so far?
Bernadette: It’s quite tricky. It’s becoming trickier because I don’t think I’ve ever performed ten singers in quite as much detail. It’s shaping up to be about ten minutes roughly for each singer to give them a fair go. It’s going from Shirley Bassey, who’s such a big, enormous, belting showbiz type, to the small voice and the very mellow quality of Karen Carpenter. That’s a tricky change to make. I want to make it more challenging [than in previous shows]. I think that’s part of working with Simon Phillips, because he absolutely does challenge me and makes it more tricky. But it’s always more exciting too.
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| Photo: Gabi Bergman |
Have any of the artists been a particular challenge?
Bernadette: I thought it would be Miley Cyrus and Amy Winehouse because they’re not singers that have been in my repertoire at all. Amy, I have loved I think she’s such a great singer, and Miley came later – I didn’t really know her, but I love her now. She’s so fantastic. I suppose one of the hardest ones is actually Karen Carpenter, because she’s so low and she’s got such really smooth, honeyed, low long notes. I think that’s quite fun, it’s just these people wouldn’t have occurred to me. We really wanted everyone to be really brilliant and also really different in their styles, and to have most people in the audience know at least some of them.
How are you planning on switching between the characters?
Bernadette: I never do costume changes which is a bit sad because I only always have one costume [laughs]. But it’s great because it’s all the more powerful – I just completely transition to the next person. I might even stay at the same mic, or I might move to a different microphone, or there’ll be a lighting change or a musical introduction. I don’t rely on any props, or wigs, or any of the the usual things… It’s all about sound and evoking the qualities.
How is DIVAS different from your previous one-woman shows?
Bernadette: Well, this time, because I’m part of some of the themes running through this is is really about how they perceive themselves and how important it is to them as to be a singer or how much that is about their own psyche. And so that’s really about them talking about that or, or, you know, like, for instance, when Shirley Bassey’s daughter, young daughter, was found dead, drowned, she was told that when she was on a tour and she she completely lost her voice. But it was utterly psychological and it was just sort of so such a part of her that went and other things like stage fright. Barbra Streisand talks about that and not being able to perform. And so it’s sort of about their vulnerabilities and their relationship with the voice and who who are they without the voice or that sort of thing. You know, I think that’s what a lot of performers feel.
Do you have a favourite song or moment from this show?
Bernadette: Not at the moment, because there are so many that I’m really learning and learning to love. Miley I’m enjoying singing… As Streisand I sing Sondheim’s “Being Alive”, which I’ve never sung before. Kate Bush is another I’m just really enjoying – I sing “Wuthering Heights”, of course, but also “Running Up That Hill”… and it’s been fun learning those ones. All the French with Piaf, I always love singing her stuff. There’s the operatic qualities for Edith and Maria Callas… Even though some of these women have been in my repertoire, a lot of their songs haven’t been. So that’s been just an exciting development.
Why should people come and see DIVAS?
Bernadette: I think it’s pretty exciting… I mean, one performer, ten artists, and 39 songs. It’s like going at six different concerts in one night! [laughs]
First published at AussieTheatre July 15, 2023
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