Amongst the plethora of performances hitting the stages of Perth’s 2013 Fringeworld Festival comes a Sydney based performer who will be reviving Bette Midler. In a performance that is channelling the hugely successful cabaret performer, Catherine Alcorn promises huge variety from the stars extensive catalogue.
‘It goes through quite a large spectrum, because she just sung so many different styles of songs! So that’s what we’ve really tried to capture within the show.
‘You’re crying with laughter one minute then you’re absolutely feeling the depths of the deep drama that she’s able to portray in her songs, people are allowed to connect and they’re allowed to reminisce and they’re allowed to get emotional in the show’, explained the performer.
Through what could be called fate or sheer luck, Alcorn had one of Bette Midler’s earliest collaborators as her mentor in the lead up to the production, ‘the universe sent a pat on the back in the form of the man discovering her living just around the corner from me, so I called him up and I just told him I was doing this show and I wanted to start training vocally again.
‘He was just immediately really open about her and their relationship and the way that she used to work… he very openly shared with me, that allowed me into the psyche of how she used to work and operate. She used to come in and rehearse with her band five days a week then at the gig that night she’d get up and do everything differently. It’s those sorts of stories that I wouldn’t have been able to read in an interview anywhere, that information has been invaluable to me.’
Alcorn promises a charismatic live performance for the Perth crowd, with chops and changes that will deliver plenty of surprises, ‘it looks like the type of joint that we’re going to be able to get really hot and sweaty in and that’s what I’m excited about, I want to make people sweat [laughs]. I’m really excited to be bringing the show there!
The Divine Miss Bette is on at The West Australian Speigeltent from February 18 to 24, tickets available from www.fringeworld.com.au
Nadine Walker
