Blue – The Songs of Joni Mitchell

The songs of Joni Mitchell are complex lyrically and complicated musically, so it was refreshing that this show’s production was kept simple. A stark stage with a simple round table containing candles, incense and a pot of tea, and a portrait of Joni’s lower face, half hidden by a huge hat, propped on an easel upstage, are all the dressing this 70 minute cabaret needs. Apart from some evocative lighting, the show depends on the superb craftmanship of co-writer Max Lambert on piano, with jazz guitarist great Jamie Clarke and Doctor Bob on upright bass to support the astonishing talent of Queenie Van de Zandt. Queenie has been part of our theatre and cabaret scene for more than 25 years now, and perhaps we take her excellence for granted. We shouldn’t, not ever, because talent such as hers is a rarity. Even more rare is the truth and commitment to excellence that she brings every time she steps on a stage. It isn’t just the understanding of lyrics and the control over her instrument. There’s a generosity of spirit in every performance. Blue is no exception.

This is no tribute show; no weak impersonation of a stellar artist: Queenie is never less than Queenie for the entire performance, Aussie accent and all, and yet she manages to convey to us all the pain of a nine year old girl with polio through to the cynicism of a grown woman who couldn’t trust love not to hurt her - and was uncertain of her talent or how to deal with it. It is poignant and moving throughout. Though much of the material comes from Joni’s iconic BLUE album, there are other songs that are demarcation points in Joni’s life, most notably “Twisted”, which has the great opening line “My analyst told me”. Joni recorded it but it was written and performed most notably by the great Annie Ross (who happened to be my mother’s 2^nd cousin, so is particularly special to me). There’s also “The Circle Game”, which dispels any doubt that Joni is first and foremost a poet:-

“Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star”

And, of course there’s “Big Yellow Taxi”, how could there not be? But the show touches us most when it stays with the songs from Blue, not just the title song but “A Case of You” – perhaps one of the greatest love songs ever written – and the wonderfully nostalgic “River”. But it was emotionally shattering “Little Green” that reduced me to tears. Knowing now that the song was written about Mitchell giving up her only child for adoption adds a personal level so raw and so deep that it wasn’t surprising that Queenie herself was choked with feeling.

And when we heard ‘Woodstock’ again - and the plea “we have got to get back to the garden” - it was as if 50 odd years just fell away and the largely middle-aged-and-over audience was young again.

There are voice-over glimpses into Joni’s life, and anecdotes both touching and enlightening - astonishing that the English Teacher who encouraged her to write was in fact a Queenslander who had emigrated to Canada.

Still it’s Joni’s songs and Queenie’s voice that meld to create the magic, and “Both Sides Now” touched the audience in a way that we will remember forever. The standing ovation amongst an ordinary non-celeb audience who genuinely loved the show and reliving their youth that night was just another example of how we all connected. If you missed it, watch out for this jewel of a show as it tours Australia.

Queenie’s Blue is Pure Gold.

Coral Drouyn