Carole King is one of America’s most prolific songwriters and an accomplished singer. In a 50 year career, record sales of her songs, performed by herself and most other leading contemporary songsters, are estimated to be in the vicinity of 75 million. She’s been the subject of a Broadway show, Beautiful and successfully toured Australia in 2013.
For many, her thoughtful, inspirational and uplifting songs have provided a songbook for their lives, so a show promoted as “a two hour spectacular concert which will have you laughing and crying as the songs of this multi-award winning artist come to life on the stage” offered the tantalising opportunity to revisit these songs.
Unfortunately, far from spectacular, the concert proved to be a rather lack-lustre affair. It started off unpromisingly when the three backing musicians, two guitarists and a drummer, took the stage early.
Arranged unimaginatively on a rostrum across the back of a black draped stage, they checked the tuning of their instruments, and then talked among themselves, until eventually musical director, Shanon Whitelock arrived on stage. Seating himself at the Steinway piano, Whitelock and the band commenced an upbeat arrangement of I Feel The Earth Move.
The three vocalists, Michelle Brasier, Jessica Papst and Erin Herrmann Young, dressed in sparkling black gowns, then entered, and before singing a note, one called out, “Hello Canberra, are ya having a good time? … Have we got any Carole fans in the audience?” which sort of set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Over the next two hours some thirty of Carole King’s songs were presented, punctuated by an uninspired narration listing details of King’s life and achievement, which often sounded as if it had been lifted directly from Wikipedia, and delivered, with a little attempt at enthusiasm, by each of the singers in turn.
The songs were performed as trios, duets and solos and mostly efficiently sung. Occasional highlights such as Jessica Papst’s Nightingale, Michelle Brasier’s You Are The Reason and the duet The First Day in August, hinted at what this concert could have achieved had the singers been more interested in capturing the essence of Carole King’s songs rather than using them to demonstrate their riffing skills.
As it was the lack of finesse in the staging, and performance of this show suggested that it would have been more at home in a less formal setting.
Carole King – The Songbook of Her Life
Playhouse – Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra
Performance: Saturday 28 May 2016
For more information and additional performance dates, visit: www.facebook.com/carolekingsongbooktour for details.
Image: Jessica Papst, Michelle Brasier and Erin Herrmann Young perform in Carole King – The Songbook of Her Life
Review: Bill Stephens.