A Celebration of Amy Winehouse | Blue Arcadia Music & Fearless Singer Productions
Presented by Blue Arcadia Music and Fearless Singer Productions, A Celebration of Amy Winehouse was a fabulous night of commemoration for the late, great, raspy and soulful songstress.
Set in the gorgeous hidden venue of the AHEPA Hall in West End, the show started at 8pm and finished at 11pm, including a twenty-minute interval, with the first set consisting of songs that tugged at your heart strings and the latter of the Amy songs you’d play at a dance party.
If you were expecting a tribute show in which there is one performer dressed with the iconic black beehive and winged eyeliner then this isn’t the show for you. Instead, there were six singers, Angela Fabian, Rosa Mack Megan Crocombe, Mel Lathouras, Tee West and Chelle Janse Van Rensburg, who each performed a selection of tunes from different eras of Amy’s discovery including ‘Frank’ and ‘Back to Black’.
Each performer brought a different flavour to each tune and told their own story through their vocals. They were complimented by the live band behind them, filled with a horn section, bass, drums, percussion, guitar and keys who captured the energy, melancholy and soul of Amy’s compositions.
The one thing I felt this show missed was having a commentary between songs about Amy’s life story and how that influenced the particular song about to be sung. Amy was such a troubled character and despite only being on this planet till the age of twenty-seven, her life was anything but ordinary. Thus, I felt the show had more of a concert vibe than a tribute show. It was also quite disappointing that some audience members didn’t know the correct theatre etiquette and were conversing quite loudly to the point that at times they were louder than the musicians on stage.
A Celebration of Amy Winehouse was a lovely way to spend a Friday night in the town; with a glass of wine in hand and a foot tapping along to the music.
