OBSERVER: Age Of Reason
Jayda D’Agostino’s cabaret contribution to the Melbourne Fringe Festival is a tribute to the works of John Farnham.
She has the vocal range to meet the demands of the pieces she has chosen to sing and she is backed by very competent musicians, but it is in the narrative between songs that the show suffers a little.
Farnham was an icon in the Australian music scene for well on six decades, defining and representing Australia with his unassuming and unpretentious ‘everyman’ attitude complemented by an astonishing vocal range. Being born in England didn’t prevent him from becoming Australian of the Year in 1987.
D’Agostino’s home spun advice about her life’s journey now that she has reached the ripe old age of 23 and given on a seat in the middle of the stage when not singing perhaps doesn’t do Farnham’s contribution justice.
A true tribute to Farnham could have included transcending the confining nature of the music industry or his charity work or even entertaining Australian troops in East Timor.
Farnham’s self-effacing attitude was but one of the features that made him great.
The tribute to Farnham on September 20 at the Rod Laver Arena where Barnes, Arena and Mauboy – to name but a few – performed and where all the proceeds went to charity also means that D’Agostino’s timing might be worth addressing.
Review by David McLean