BWW Reviews: ADELAIDE FRINGE 2014: SWEET DREAMS – SONGS BY ANNIE LENNOX is as Good as the Real Thing, but Funnier

Reviewed by Blake Parham, Tuesday 25th February 2014

Michael Griffiths's one-man show alternates each evening between a tribute to Annie Lennox, entitled Sweet Dreams: Songs By Annie Lennox, and another to Madonna, entitled In Vogue: Songs By Madonna. His committed portrayal of Lennox is both powerful and hilarious. Moreover, while Griffiths is not a Lennox impersonator, nor is he attempting to be in this show, he has ably adopted a number of her mannerisms and vocal styles which add to the flavour of the evening.

Sweet Dreams takes the audience on a retrospective journey through Lennox's torrid and eventful love life, as told and sung by the singer herself. Griffiths's relaxed conversational style of performance, his audience involvement, which included a sing-a-long, his amusing observational humour, and a number of running gags, which include a candle and pearls of wisdom form Lennox's father, help to add to the hilarity and pleasure of the performance. Moreover, his renditions of Lennox's greatest hits are superb. His warm tone, large dynamic range, clear diction and emotive voice make the evening all the more enjoyable.

Finally, the intelligent and effective lighting design and wonderfully mixed sound deserves praise, as it was clearly well thought through and only further improves an already wonderful performance. Ultimately, it is Griffiths's warm and dynamic voice, dripping with emotion, which makes this performance so wonderful and emotionally moving.

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