Vika & Linda Bull. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 24 Jun 2017
Yes, Carole King is still alive and kicking and living in Idaho. No, she never married "the tear ducts of America," James Taylor. Yes, Neil Sedaka dated her when she was in high school - I'm not sure if he was still in high school, though. Yes, Tapestry, released in 1971, was the top US album for 15 weeks and was on the charts for six years! No, her records sales were not less than 10 million, how about north of 75 million.
Unfortunately, Debra Byrne had the gall to not make it to her own show. The gall bladder, that is, unscheduled removal thereof. So co-star Vika Bull did what any big sister would - make your younger sister (Linda Bull) help you out. With only 2 days of rehearsals and a few bits of paper on a music stand, you would never know.
Do I even need to say this was a great show and got a standing O? The Bull sisters channeled the iconic singer/songwriter to perfection. Generally tag-teaming, the hits just kept on coming. There's a favourite, there's another one. OMG, that one, boy, that brings back memories maybe I'd rather not have (eg. It's Too Late). Are they going to do? ... yep, there it is. Beautiful. They even did other artists interpretations of King's songs. Vika Bull blasted out (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman with nearly the same gusto as Arethra Franklin (she's not yet deceased either). The band was hot. The girls had a lot of fun, and so did everyone else. Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 23 to 24 June
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed
