Review - Jane McDonald
Venue: Palace Theatre
Date reviewed: 21st September, 2008
A few years ago, Victoria Wood introduced a character called Stacey-Leanne; a brassy Northern singer, famous for her emotional ballads, who found fame on board a cruise liner, whilst being followed by a TV docu-soap crew. The inspiration for this was unmistakably Jane McDonald.
If Wood successfully managed to capture McDonald’s more ‘diva-esque’ moments, what she failed to communicate is the Wakefield bombshell’s powerhouse vocals, and endearing stage presence.
Ten years after being “discovered” by BBC’s hit reality show The Cruise, Jane has worn well, and (as demonstrated by the near-capacity crowd) has garnered a loyal and devoted fanbase. With hit albums, DVDs, West End musical appearances, and now a fixture on ITV1’s Loose Women, this likeable singer is enjoying a resurgence of late, and the fans have come to worship.
What the audience actually gets is a strong set of predictable choices and genuinely funny banter, which is let down somewhat by poor acoustics and judders of feedback from the sound system.
Aside from a couple of unremarkable original tracks such as “Doctors Orders”, it’s ballads, uptempo Tamla-Motown, and showtunes all the way. Backed by an energetic 10-piece band, the crowd are treated to “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?”, “This Is The Moment”, “And I’m Telling You” (from Dreamgirls) and “I Only Wanna Be With You”, amongst others.
McDonald possesses clear, strong vocals; the material is well chosen, and there are some impressive ‘money notes.’ What lets the set down is a lack of light and shade; some songs would benefit from a softer treatment, but the arrangements and the vocals tend to favour fifth gear – at all times. Also, due to some real problems with sound design, some lyrics get lost and swamped by the band.
What’s unexpectedly delightful is the Wakefield singer’s remarkable repartee with an audience. She is actually a better comedienne than she is a singer (someone should find her a decent West End musical part) and years of experience mean that she works the audience perfectly.
What doesn’t quite work is the switch between the “lass from t’next door” in the banter and the sophisticated diva of the songs. McDonald’s act though, is as camp as three pantomimes back to back, and all the better for it.
What she isn’t though is a world class vocal talent (think Streisand or Minnelli) and the show would benefit from more variety. If these are low points, then the highlights of “One Voice” and “The Impossible Dream” (from The Man Of La Mancha) justify the ticket price alone.
Ground-breaking, then? No. A slick, professional show, fronted by a genuinely likeable personality? Absolutely!
This series of dates is unlikely to win over many new fans, but it’s hardly the point. Jane McDonald – In Concert is a good night’s entertainment, and the standing ovation she earned was entirely down to her hard work and lovely on stage persona.
-Matthew Nichols
August 25th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
While on the whole a representative review of the concert, I would just like to add that “Doctors Orders” is not an “unremarkable original track” of Jane’s, its actually a Carol Douglas track.
I also think its absurdity of the highest order to say that Jane is a better comedienne than she is singer!! Although funny, Jane has captured the heart of her fans not with her ability to make us laugh, but with the power to captivate and entice us with the beauty of her incomparable voice. Minelli or Streisand she may not be, but really, do we need others?