Review: CABARET FESTIVAL 2017: CYRENS - THE SWINGING SONGBOOK OF CY COLEMAN at Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Fiona Talbot-Leigh, Thursday 22nd June 2017.

The Cyrens are Amanda Harrison (Wicked), Chelsea Renton-Gibb (Cabaret, Chicago), and Melissa Langton (The Fabulous Singlettes), three incredibly talented women in their own right but put them together and you have one hell of a powerhouse show. All three of these ladies are no stranger to the stage, their musical and television credits are impressive and show just how hard working and respected these Melbourne performers really are.

Under the wonderful direction of Mark Jones, the Space Theatre came alive with great songs from Musical Theatre and the jazz world. These three amazing women serenaded us with their renditions of show tunes from Sweet Charity, Cabaret, City of Angels, and more.

Each performer is really a star and whoever came up with the idea to put these three incredible women together should be applauded. There is wonderful energy that exudes from them all and they take you to another world when they sing in three part harmony. Their voices are individually strong, with unique and velvet undertones that lift you up and take you away from the worries of the world, if only for a little while.

They put their heart and soul into singing every note and, along with perfect diction, their gorgeous smiles and beautiful faces endeared themselves easily to their audience. This was a very tight and well-rehearsed show that could easily be performed on a Las Vegas stage, such is its professionalism and candour.

They were backed by a very talented band, with Mark Jones on piano, Tim Wilsdon double bass and guitars, Alex Flood on drums with Vashti Tyrrell on flute, saxophone and clarinet. The musical arrangements by Jones were sassy and slick, and accompanied the singers to perfection.

Throughout the course of the show the audience was treated to solo performances by each artist and they revelled in the gutsy vocals of Langton, the luxurious voice of Harrison and the sultry tones of Renton-Gibb. In between songs the, at times comical banter between the girls flowed easily as they seamlessly went from one song to the other, sharing snippets of gossip about Cy Coleman along the way. The Cyrens were simply captivating and, if the audience's reactions were anything to go by, I think Adelaide would be very happy to welcome them back again.
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