JANE MCDONALD: LIVING THE DREAM

A few years ago, encouraged by a friend and a fan, I was taken to see Jane McDonald, “you’ll love her” he said, and I did. Rising from a career in clubland to cruise liners, Jane McDonald conquered the world of entertainment on TV and now can attract massive audiences in major venues. She really is living that dream.

Rightly so too, she does have star qualities, her stage presence is charming, self deprecating humour and moments of tenderness all come together in a show that is driven along by her ability to deliver a song, it’s a powerhouse of a voice for sure.

What most impresses me though is her vocal expression, that voice is kaleidoscopic, she can belt out a big power ballad, propel a country number with raunch and settle back at the piano to deliver a sweet and gentle song with a simple accompaniment. Her range is quite extraordinary, that is for sure, but one further thing for me puts her way in front.

Whilst so many pop divas spend their time exercising vocal pyrotechnics and riffing away like loons, McDonald delivers the tune, never abandoning the songs as we have come to know them in an act of showing off, to be precise she does not bugger about. Apologies for the language, especially as Ms McDonald delivers her entire two part show without ever resorting to bad language.

The evening is split into two halves, the first, dressed in sparkling country clobber, is mainly given over to her own material, and very good those songs are, only eclipsed by a fitting tribute to sadly gone Dolly Parton. She does her songs justice too as do her excellent band and backing vocalists who punch everything out with precision and conviction, even down to her three piece brass section who seem to relish their delightful choreography.

Part two is taken up with more familiar numbers, big pop anthems and classic ballads sung with welly but not at the cost of musicality. Dressed now in slinky sequins she continues to woo her audience with banter, engaging, charming, the keynotes of her style.

The show is beautifully lit and staged, live camera feeds for the most part allowing everyone to see her wry smiles. Sadly one camera person at the foot of the stage seemed to always be in the wrong place, even at one point focusing on the bass player whilst the lead guitarist delivered a soaring solo, the vision mixer must have been beside themself trying to keep up and the audience, paying top money for front row seats, equally irritated as he flitted back and forth in front of them. And sadly in a weird decision, being told that when she says good night, all is not over falls flat, confusing the audience and subduing cries for an encore. We like to cry out for more so let us please.

There is little doubt though that this extraordinary woman is worthy of her place at the top of the entertainment ladder, she has as they say, paid her dues and now deserves the success she now has.

Andrew Kay

7 September

The Brighton Centre

Rating: