Reviewed Saturday 7th June 2014
Jamie Jewell, as Candy Chambers in
50 Forever, is a very rare thing, a drag queen who relies on sheer talent rather than bitchy sniping.
Candy is sweet, and 50 again, and talented, and quick witted, and athletic, and long legged, and engaging, and....the list goes on. In
50 Forever we, once again, see the creative pairing of Jewell and David Paul Jobling. They co-wrote the script and Jobling directed the work.
Over nearly two hours, Candy shared her wisdom with us, wisdom gained through a hard life, but a celebrated life which, after all, is a great way to do it. She segued effortlessly through accents, styles, and songs, showcasing her great vocal range and personality along the way, whilst winning the hearts of her audience.
Candy's upbeat & sunny personality dazzles as much as her sequins, with fast innuendo lashing out from that deceptively gentle, Marie Antoinette profile. Her show was polished and perfected, with audience participation mandatory and, usually, gladly given, such is her ability to engage, encouraging removal of audience/performer barriers and letting us laugh at ourselves. Candy's consummate performance is pure cabaret; there is nothing more anyone could want but more Candy. The range of her abilities is immense, always beautifully sophisticated and with added glitz shining through. Candy had a perfect foil in her backing group, sometimes affectionately known as The Freckles, with musical arrangement and keyboards by Carol Young, Tom Leach, on bass guitar, Chris Soole, with a lovely sexy tenor sax, and Peter Overall keeping the beat on drums. Drummer and bassist varied on other nights.
This Adelaide audience just couldn't get enough Candy.
This Adelaide audience just couldn't get enough Candy.
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