David Campbell Back in the Swing of Things

Thebarton Theatre is not usually a place one associates with Cabaret. The art form requires connection between the performer and the audience and the creation of a rapport, while threading stories are told. Thebarton Theatre is set up in rows, very tightly seating its patrons. A show like David Campbell- Back in the Swing of Things could very easily have become a concert. This was not the case on opening night as this talented showman wove his magic. He had the place jumping and the audience eating out of his hand.

There is a sincerity to this home-grown man. He is not afraid to speak of his very humble roots, growing up in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, his relationship with his father and his own, clearly, very precious family. We felt welcome and appreciated from the very first song.

The show commenced with Campbell arriving on stage, backed by a superb nine piece big band playing “Rhapsody in Blue”. This, and the plush red velvet curtaining and complementary lighting, set the scene for what was to be an absolutely joyful journey through many of this talented performer’s  favourite musical genres and experiences.

By the age of 20 David Campbell was performing at the Sydney Opera House and soon after, moved to New York where he took the Cabaret world by storm, playing in iconic venues and building his craft. Returning to Australia to take the lead role of Johnny O’Keefe in Shout in 2001, then going on to perform in many other musicals like Sunset Boulevard, Carousel, Les Miserables andPirates of Penzance, Campbell became a household name.

His career has gone from strength to strength, releasing albums, working on television and for Adelaideans, one of his best roles was as Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival with his wife Lisa. Campbell spoke with great affection in the show about the legacy of Frank Ford and the privilege he felt in being able to bring such amazing performers to the Festival as Bernadette Peters and Olivia Newton John. He also spoke highly of the work Julia Zemiro has done this year in the wonderful line-up of the Festival.

More recently Campbell performed as Bobby Darin in Dreamlover. He drew heavily on this show for many of its numbers-“Splish Splash”, “Multiplication”, “Up the lazy River” to name a few. The Thebby bounced!

Campbell’s love of big bands and swing was obvious throughout the show. Opening with “Come Fly with Me” and “Dance in the old fashioned way”,he had the audience swooning. His voice is wonderful and he can turn his hand to virtually any style with ease. His ability to sustain notes is quite astounding. He talked in depth about Bobby Darin, the person, and his devastation over the death of his friend Robert Kennedy, reducing us to tears with the song “Who can I turn to?”

He went on to chat with us, very informally about how he came to be the singing voice for Ben Affleck (or ‘Batfleck’ as he called him) in Joseph, King of Dreams, hilariously noting “Well folks, where do you go to find the voice of Batman? Inglefarm of course!”.

We were also treated to insights into his family- his son Leo, whom he proudly announces was born here in Adelaide and his twins Billy and Betty. There is clearly a deep affection for Betty- as he notes, she is ‘just like Magda Szubanski’. We laugh with him as he shares some of her stories and how she seems to rule the roost. This love is shared with us through a beautiful rendition of “She”. Parents in the house would certainly have had a lump in their throats.

The latter part of the show focused mainly on Shout and he showed us with great skill why he was the perfect choice to play the role of O’Keefe. I thought the roof was going to blow off when he started the famous “Weeeeeeeeeell…ya know ya make me wanna….” The audience sang along excitedly, and bubbled with every song from this great Australian musical.

It would be remiss not to speak about the talent with which Campbell surrounds himself. The band was superb in every aspect and drawn from all parts of Australia and some from the USA. The duets sung with his friend and powerhouse vocalist, Josie Lane and her backing vocals were fabulous. However, the standout in this show apart from its obvious star, would have to be 24-year old Jack Earle, playing keys, conducting the band and just being all around an amazing performer in his own right. What a talent!

This show was a fabulous night out, well deserving of the standing ovations. The audience were with Campbell all the way. Too often locals go on to become famous and forget their roots. David Campbell is not like this. He made us feel that Adelaide is his home and is special to him. When he told us at the end of the night ‘Thank-you and I love you’, we felt we were definitely in his heart.

Shelley Hampton

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