MUSICAL REVIEW by Meredith Fuller & Aaron Shanks. The gorgeous Erin Cornell, with her show ‘All of Me’ heading off to London after a successful season in Australia.
We had a fabulous evening at Erin Cornell’s musical biography ‘All of Me’ at Toff in Town, located at Level 2 of Curtin House on Swanston St, on the 20th of August.
Comfortable, quaint, and cosy Toff. Despite any lingering thoughts of a subdued atmosphere, it was quickly apparent that Erin is no small personality. After opening with a rousing rendition of Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ and capturing the audience with her big well controlled voice that had no limits; her show ‘All Of Me – An Evening with Erin Cornell’ was a welcome mix of witty banter intertwined through a series of songs chosen to act as a representation of her journey over the years.
Erin is engaging, insouciant, comedic, and hilariously self-deprecating in her humour. Her chats between her songs is hilarious. There is a segment on Kylie and Danni Minogue, Japanese ‘Wicked’, wearing spandex, red lipstick that brought us to mirthful tears.
With a brief intermission, the two hour long show consisted of a number of recognisable classics and a few originals with a motif or two that calls back to a few pieces of pop culture that were both toe tapping and unfamiliar.
Of particular note were two duets; a rendition of ‘Dangerous Game’ from the 1997 musical ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ for which international vocalist Juan Jackson arrived on stage
to perform the duet. Juan, who has recently moved to Paris from Copenhagen, just happened to be in Melbourne for a wedding, and the audience was delighted with this smooth star who leapt onto the stage with aplomb.
Ben Clark, an old friend from her VCA days, joined Erin for a rousing duet. Ben was a recent semi-finalist on The Voice, and is a sought after singer for many corporate and entertainment gig
A pace-changing highlight was the Celtic folk tune Siúil A Rún performed with her backing
singers, the talented and up-and-coming 17 year old twins Micaela and Joely Osfield.
These extremes, contrasting with the rest of the show, truly showcased Erin’s versatility and ability not only to captivate with her arresting presence but also to perform subtle, stripped back intimate numbers while keeping the audience transfixed.
Beautiful Erin generously described the twins as her fairy princesses that make her shine; amazing artists in their own right that she must have in her show. Besides, she quips, “Gotta have backing singers with the same blonde hair as me!’
With cool, tight supporting musicians and a clear desire to bring those around her along for the ride, Next time Erin Cornell returns to Melbourne, don’t miss her. It was fantastic to see yet another performer who truly understands and gives new meaning to the phrase “A rising tide lifts all boats”.
