2011 Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review: Michael Feinstein Sings Sinatra

Michael Feinstein Sings Sinatra          

The Festival Theatre

June 26, 2011

In his return to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, the multi-talented cabaret star Michael Feinstein was in splendid form. 

The stage of the Festival Theatre was adorned with teal drapes, emulating the ambience of his own cabaret venue Feinstein’s at Loews Regency in New York. Feinstein owned the stage from start to finish, singing Sinatra with elegance and style. Despite performing in a theatre with almost 2000 people, he pulled off a stunning cabaret show. Gracious and personable with a sense of humour, he interacted with the audience as if the theatre was the size of a living room. Taking song requests from the crowd, and bantering with a front-row audience member who was caught leaving the venue and returning, he created an intimate show.

Supported by the stellar 17-piece Adelaide Art Orchestra, Feinstein exuded charisma whether he was standing atop a Steinway, sitting at it and playing it or standing in front of it, never losing the connection with the full-house audience. The anecdotes featured entertainment luminaries like Liza Minnelli, Ira Gershwin and Sinatra himself. The wide range of repertoire during his generous set of nearly two hours included “Once in My Life”, “Sway”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Maybe This Time”, a Gershwin medley and the almost obligatory “New York, New York”.

This was a fitting grand finale to cabaret-filled three weeks at the Festival Centre and a perfect send-off to the artistic director David Campbell as he bid farewell to the Festival.

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