Amelia Ryan used to be a mess. She openly admits it. Her career was in free-fall along with her non-existent love life and her lifestyle wasn’t helping. So she decided to take control and transform her life and herself using her own
This lady made me feel liberated and I even bought the CD.
Accompanied by the talented Michael Griffiths on piano (Cole, Assembly Gardens), Ryan has a powerhouse voice and isn’t afraid to use it. Telling autobiographical stories mixed in with excellent parody covers of hit songs and classic musical showstoppers, Ryan rocks through the show only pausing to chat with the audience about their own hopes and dreams. It’s an intimate and welcoming environment and we all feel that we’re welcome to join in on the songs and there’s a great deal of friendly heckling. A mid-show segment sees a game of ‘I Have Never’ played out with audience members who are pretty candid in their honesty and Ryan rides the wave of shock like a pro surfer.
Commissioned by the legendary Barry Humphries for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, this is a thoroughly entertaining show by a woman who deserves to be selling out the EICC rather than the tiny sweaty box into which she welcomes us. This lady made me feel liberated and I even bought the CD.
