Review: Petula Clark at Mohegan Sun Cabaret

Petula Clark knows how to put on a show.  She has been doing it for fifty-plus years and she knows how to do it right.  The content, pacing, and performance each hit, exactly, the right notes.

Backed by a 7-piece band and with musical director Kenny Clayton, Petula sang "most of the songs you would expect" her to sing. She began the set with "Who am I", followed by "the Twelfth of Never" and was completely warmed up, along with the crowd; by the time she began her third song, "Don't Sleep in the Subway".

Petula does not under-estimate her audience.  She takes the time to teach her audience about the songs she is singing, their writers, their significance and setting.  The audience then has a basic, shared understanding of the song before she sings it.  This is especially effective in her delivery of "Tell Me It's Not True". 

She explains to the audience about character of Mrs. Johnstone from "Blood Brothers".  She relates the setting and the scene. She puts on Mrs. Johnstone's raggedy coat from the original Broadway production.  More than physically putting on the coat/costume and singing the song, she inhabits the character of Mrs. Johnstone while she sings the song.  It is as if Mrs. Johnstone herself was explaining the circumstances of her life, and what events brought her to this point where she is singing over the bodies of her two dead sons.  The song is an "11:00 o'clock number", with the beauty and tragedy of an aria.  Petula plays it, as she did for two years in the show, for all of its emotion. 

New coat, this one with turkey feathers on the collars, and a new character, Norma Desmond, from "Sunset Boulevard".  Again, Petula takes the time to share vital information about the character, her association with the character and the setting of the scene, before singing "With One Look".  Petula plays the role of Norma Desmond with a humble vulnerability, with just a touch of crazy. It occurs to me that Petula is now more than twenty years older than Gloria Swanson was when Gloria originated the role of Norma Desmond on film.

Later in the evening and with her apologies to Mr. Lloyd Webber, Petula called Stephen Sondheim the "most brilliant writer" of musicals. She sang a rendition of "Losing my Mind" that was more raw than many versions I have heard.  Again, just a touch of crazy.

Petula also performed some original songs that she wrote, did a spoken word piece on the theater and played her own piano for a few of the numbers.  She shared with the audience her talent as a writer, singer and musician and actor.  The term "Triple-Threat" is one threat short of what Petula brings to the stage.

The folks who came for the "hits" got 'em, but they got a whole lot more.  Petula Clark delivered everything the audience expected and more.  Much more.

www.mohegansun.com

www.petulaclark.net