At Last - The Etta James Story

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 - Sun 21 Feb 2016

During her surprisingly (in view of her weight problems and addictions) long career, Etta James sang with the best in the biz: Gladys Knight , Diana Ross , Janis Joplin , Ike and Tina Turner to name but a few.

Bonnie Raitt once said James' voice could be "raucous and down one song, and then break your heart with her subtlety and finesse the next." Vika Bull 's interpretation mirrored the imperfections and soaring heights of her heroine, a woman for whom she clearly has the greatest admiration.

With the help of trumpet-player Tibor Gyapjas in his role as compere, Vika Bull told the tale of Etta James' career in song and story, delivered for the most part in her Australian accent with the odd bit of Etta-channelling interspersed.

The big band sound was produced by a seven piece backing band comprised of a consummate bunch of musicians led by musical director and keyboardist extraordinaire John McAll . A highlight for this reviewer was one of James' own compositions 'Roll With Me Henry', performed as a duet by Bull and trombonist Ben Gillespie, whose tall, pale frame did nothing for his Little Richard impersonation but whose fine vocals were a tribute to the Small One.

This show has been more than three years in the making and its Playhouse season is less than a week long, so there's no time to waste.

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#february
!date 16/02/2016 -- 21/02/2016
%wnmelbourne