A Night with Janis Joplin |
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snobb
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Posted: 31 Aug 2024 at 10:16am |
A music-filled biography of the life and musical influences of Janis Joplin that sets the house on fire. While the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead get much of music history’s credit, A Night with Janis Joplin reminds us that one of rock music’s biggest pioneers was female, with a musical dedication to Janis Joplin and the soul, blues and jazz singers that influenced her. Rising to fame with her uniquely husky sound and radiant stage presence, Joplin is well-deserving of a musical with her name on it. Played by the technically perfect Mary Bridget Davies, Joplin performs belter after belter with the backing of her band and the crooning ‘Joplinaires’ before talking through a few of the most seminal moments of her life and career. Though the production only briefly touches on Joplin’s story, prioritising back-to-back records over a narrative arc, A Night with Janis Joplin does well in recognising the influence of black musicians on Joplin’s sound, with insight into the inspiration behind many of her popular records. Heavily influenced by soul, jazz and blues artists of the time, the rock star proudly shares the stage with the soulful and well-choreographed ‘Joplinaires’ – who transform to portray talented stars such as Betty Davis and Nina Simone. Aretha Franklin too makes a memorable appearance, played by a gifted Kalisha Amaris, who hypes the audience with an uncanny sound and some serious wig-shaking. Given authenticity by the ageing hippies in the audience and the Joplin family watching from the wings, A Night with Janis Joplin is a true dedication to the singer’s memory, now seeing its UK debut after a run on Broadway. Fans of the 60s and the rock n roll era will want tickets to this one. Set in the unassuming Peacock Theatre on King’s College campus, this production feels like a grassroots gem, and though Davies could be accused of overdoing it with Joplin’s infamous wail, the energy of the production more than makes up for the odd garbled lyric. A Night with Janis Joplin does the unexpected, turning a restrained theatre audience into a booty-shaking collective, dancing in the aisles to the spirit of Etta and Aretha as much as the rock icon herself. from https://broadwaybaby.com |
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