Review - Lady Beatle: Naomi Price sizzled on stage
Lady Beatle
Created by Adam Brunes and Naomi Price
Presented by La Boite and The Little Red Company
La Boite Theatre
Kelvin Grove
Brisbane
Season: May 25-June 3 (includes 9 pm shows). Running time: 80 minutes, no interval. Bookings: https://laboite.com.au
Naomi Price is just one of those darlings of the theatre industry that just knows what makes a good show.
Last night, at her premier opening of the La Boite /The Little Red Company’s production Lady Beatle, she and her team most certainly delivered a good in fact a great show.
Lady Beatle, delivered in cabaret-style, with a rock star band followed the story of the Beatles through the eyes of a close friend. I won’t reveal who it is as that will ruin the surprise but let’s just say the character is an important one.
As someone who actually doesn’t know much about the Beatles (yes we exist!), save some basic knowledge, I was expecting a show that I would enjoy but not entirely engage with. I was entirely wrong.
The show was for me, sharp, witty, and captivating. Price’s vocals were spot on every time and took the audience to new and dizzying heights with each song. I was able to recognise a few melodies to know that the music arrangements of Lady Beatle were rearranged to suit a more rock-like tone and the instrumental choices the band made but it made the experience better for me.
Had it been just a copy of the original arrangements it would have smacked of a Karaoke night. The show opened in darkness with Price appearing on the stage like a magician. Everything, from her brilliant and accurate accent, to Leigh Buchannan’s costumes to the little jokes and audience interactions here and there to the lighting design was apt and on point and enhanced something that was already good and made it great.
The four-piece band consisting of Mik Easterman, Drums, Andrew Johnson, Bass guitar, Michael Manikus, piano and Jason McGregor, guitars, were electric, slick and cool, a true reflection of the Beatles themselves.
Price was unstoppable. Her charisma veritably sizzled on stage and it is wholly apparent why her other works have been achieving such acclaim. From moments of cheekiness to mournfulness and then sheer delight, she performed her heart out to create a visceral and raw experience and you could most certainly see the effort that she and co-creator Adam Brunes have put into the show.
Lady Beatle is an experience that does not happen often. We do have other brilliant artists creating brilliant shows in this state and indeed rest of the country but there’s just something about The Little Red Company and their savoir faire about making an enjoyable time for audiences that is unique to them.
This created a unique experience that was touching, fun and memorable. For those of you wanting to laugh, dance and sing the night away, look no further than La Boite for the next few weeks.