|
 |
The Fiddle & The Drum - The Music of Joni Mitchell Melissa McCaig , Kathie Rimmer and Vincent's Chair Space Theatre, 11 & 12 June "I really don't know life at all" laments Joni Mitchell, the unobtrusive 'sixties icon in her anthem Both Sides Now. Nothing could be further from the truth, as proven in' The Fiddle The Drum', a reverent tribute to the enigmatic though staunchly heterosexual artist in this performance. Whether it is the rock influenced Raised On Robbery, the flowing jazz fusion of Coyote, modern standards In France They Kiss On Main Street, the canonic ballads Circle Game and A Case Of You. Of the later jazz works like Twisted, Renner and Co. are completely at ease with material that they have obviously rehearsed and fine tuned even further since their recent Fringe show. Highlights are Renner's ebullient rendering of Carey, McCaig's sultry Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, and Renner's brave and proficient attempt at the recent Turbulent Indigo. The show had improved since its Fringe outing. Tempi that formerly lagged in the earlier works like Carey and Chelsea Morning were tighter. They were finer performances and the later jazz influenced gems like Edith And The Kingpin and Coyote swung with an eloquent grace. They did Joni proud. The nearly full house of Mitchell devotees bathed in the nostalgia and familiarity. Yet as fine a tribute show as The Fiddle & The Drum is, was this really cabaret? There was no narrative underpinning the structure of what was effectively a long set, no theme, no personal insight or reflection on the complex artist. As McCaig herself described it, there is something unique about Mitchell you can "feel but you can't explain". Maybe cabaret requires the artist to offer their explanation. Having mastered the music, McCaig and Renner might consider laying bare their own souls as courageously as Mitchell has always done. The final song of the evening, the title song to the show itself resonated politically and shows the opportunities the intricate lyrics of Mitchell offer to those willing to burrow into this wonderful material.  |
|
The latest issue available now!     |
All content copyright dB Magazine