Tag: The Star

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Boyz II Men & TLC @ The Star, Sydney – 31 January 2018

It seems to be the time for nostalgia tours. I’m personally relishing the chance to see so many of my favourite acts of the ‘90s doing their thing. Hot on the heels of Alanis Morissette’s outstanding show, I found myself heading to Sydney once again to catch Boyz II Men and TLC, or at least what remained of these ‘90s acts, at The Star.

Yo! Mafia seemed a strange choice for an opener on paper. I couldn’t imagine a DJ would be the right choice for a concert with allocated seating. So much so that I regretfully didn’t rush my dinner to see the start of her act. But she’s some DJ. Supreme transitions and such cleverness in weaving together the ‘90s music and TV show snippets we all loved. The big screen added some visual appeal to her set which proved to be just the right entrée for our night.

Boyz II Men and TLC were such acclaimed ‘90s acts that they shared headlining rights on this bill, switching up the order each night to keep us guessing. The lads from Philly were on first, much to the excitement of my Philadelphia-born and raised husband. These guys were heroes for him growing up, and it’s been a while since I saw him so animated at a show. They’re a three-piece now, but aside from missing those iconic sexy speaking parts in a few songs they’ve really lost nothing. Except, as Wanye joked, his hair. But their boy band moves are right on point, and those voices utterly sublime. Individually, Wanye, Nate, and Shawn have some of the best soul voices in the business. Put them together though, and those harmonies are off the charts.

Watching their set, I was reminded just how dominant Boyz II Men were in the ‘90s. We sang along with hit after hit, although none garnered the rapturous reactions of “I’ll Make Love To You” and “End of the Road.” There were a few surprises too, from the rare inclusion of one of my favourites, “Doin’ Just Fine” to a string of notable covers. I never imagined we’d see Shawn and Nate playing guitars, or that I’d hear the vocal trio busting out tracks like “Are You Gonna Go My Way” and “Come Together.” Moments like these are why live gigs are so exciting. Speaking of covers, I was a little disappointed to hear nothing from Boyz II Men’s latest album Under the Streetlight, the 2017 release which sees them paying tribute to early soul music. However, it’s hard to find too much fault in a set with so much heart.

Boyz II Men were the drawcard on the bill for me, so in a way it was a little bit of an anticlimax to see them first. But TLC certainly gave us a spectacular, with dancers and projections on the big screen. The remaining members, T-Boz and Chili, are also still at the top of their game. While their vocals have never been as stratospheric as Boyz II Men’s, they sounded tight. They’re also still a creative force; recent releases “Way Back” and “Haters” went down just as easily as any of the earlier material the crowd lapped up. I was moved to my feet along with everyone else when they busted out big guns like “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.” I might not have been in raptures over TLC, the way I was with Boyz II Men, but they certainly impressed me.

The ‘90s might be long gone, but it’s exciting that through gigs like this we can all go back for just a little while.

Boyz II Men and TLC play Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley tonight.

Image source: own photos

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Dream Lover” @ Lyric Theatre – 16 October 2016

When my family first heard a stage musical based on the life of Bobby Darin was in the works, there was only one man we could imagine successfully taking on the role. That man was David Campbell. We knew he’d be impressive, but I don’t think we were quite prepared for just how good he would be.

Dream Lover really is David Campbell’s show. His Bobby Darin is a presence in virtually every scene, and he shines throughout. We’re first introduced in Bobby on the night of what would be his final performance. I’ve seen David perform the opening number “Mack the Knife” several times over the years, but with back-up dancers and a tight orchestra (who are celebrated on stage rather than buried in the pit as in so many musicals) the song reaches another level.

From there we’re taken on a journey through Bobby’s life. We see him as a child with stars in his eyes, as a hard-working rock-and-roll singer, and as the toast of Hollywood with Sandra Dee on his arm. We’ve seen this kind of rags-to-riches tale before, but most musicals tend to shy away from the darkness Dream Lover isn’t afraid to explore. Bobby Darin’s stellar catalogue of beloved music ensures the show doesn’t get too gloomy.

Stepping into Bobby Darin’s shoes is no small feat. This is the Bobby Darin story after all. This character isn’t always likeable, yet there must be a charm about him that helps us forgive his unrelenting ambition. He sings, he dances, and he gives the production its anchor. David makes all this look easy, as the very best stage performers do. I’ve long admired his vocal chops, but I didn’t realise how impressive his acting skills are.

Special mention must go to Caroline O’Connor, a stage veteran who took on the dual roles of Polly and Mary Douvan with aplomb. Hannah Fredericksen brought the right amount of sweetness and strength to her portrayal of Sandra Dee and Bert Labonte was also excellent in the role of Charlie, a paternal figure to Bobby.

Sydney is lucky enough to have the world premiere of Dream Lover, although I’m sure it will tour around Australia in time. And after that, who knows? This musical is certainly solid enough to leave the country and grace the stages of Broadway or the West End. However, unless David Campbell commits to taking the role abroad, I can’t imagine it’ll be as good as the original Australian production!

Dream Lover is playing at the Lyric Theatre until at least November 27.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Strictly Ballroom The Musical @ Lyric Theatre, Sydney – 1 August 2014

I’m not the type who enerally returns to the movie theatre time and time again to see a film, but as a kid in the 90s I remember doing that with Strictly Ballroom. It was the first time I’d seen a movie more than once on its release, but I ended up going three times: with my school friends, with my parents, and finally with my grandmother. I might have been getting desperate to find someone else who hadn’t seen it at that point. It came at an important part of my life. I was just beginning to get an idea of what love was, and I was a passionate dancer. Perhaps I saw a little of myself in Fran, the not-so-popular girl who could get under the dashing Scott Hastings’ skin. I was also dazzled by the colour and artistry. We hadn’t seen Baz Luhrmann films before, so his vision was something brand new.

For some reason I’d resisted seeing the musical at Star City, or The Star as I believe it’s called now, for a while. Maybe I was content to preserve the memory I have of that film. However, the lure of two-for-one tickets proved too great and I found myself amongst the crowd early this month.

I’m so glad I took a chance on this. In putting the film in stage, Baz has had a chance to play with his first film again. Where songs simply facilitated the dance on the screen, they came to the fore in this new production. New numbers were added and were largely successful, with clever lyrics and arrangements. The set was so clever, effortlessly changing from a dance studio to the back of Fran’s house to the colourful dance competitions. The production steered away from big names, and they performed admirably. Thomas Lacey didn’t have the same raw charisma as Paul Mercurio, but he was likeable enough. When I’d seen the stills of Phoebe Panaretos I thought perhaps she was too beautiful to play Fran, but she was suitably frumped up early which made her transformation even more striking. I was more impressed with the supporting players though. Fernando Riva as Fran’s father had a raspy voice to die for and killer flamenco moves and Rohan Browne as the hilariously sloshed Ken Railings. It didn’t deviate too much from the movie, but there was just enough here to make things feel all brand new.

Strictly Ballroom the Musical wasn’t perfect, but it managed to capture the essence of the film. Above all it was fun, a cacophony of music, tulle, and colour. And there’s nothing wrong with that.