The Whitney Houston Story
This concert was presented by Night Owl Shows, who create and present a range of tribute shows to music greats including Abba, Amy Winehouse, Carole King, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond and the subject of this concert, the late great Whitney Houston. They have had sell out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, Perth Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Adelaide Fringe and Bear Valley Festival in in California.
Like her mother, gospel singer, Cissy Houston and her godmother Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston was a spinto soprano with a reputed 3.5 octave singing range. Spinto soprano voices are uncommon and have clarity and easy high notes that can be "pushed" on to achieve dramatic climaxes without strain and it is this range for which Houston was renowned and remembered with songs like ‘I Will Always Love You’. Houston used this to her advantage, knowing when to hold back with a soft sound, but also when to unleash her incredible power, warmth and almost dark metallic dramatic tones. Inspired by her family of singers, including cousin and soul singer Dionne Warwick, Houston was born with natural talent and was also an extremely good technical singer who sang using a controlled and soulful style. From early childhood she sang in her church choir and always loved to sing; she was destined to be a singer. She was 48 years of age when she died in 2012, but her enduring and unique music means that shows sharing her talent are important for fans both old and new.
Resplendent in sparkling gold, Cleopatra Madonna Higgins wholeheartedly embraces Houston. She has a powerful voice, that I believe could have been showcased better were she not forced to compete with a sound mix that was instrument heavy, forcing her to battle to be heard at times. One patron commented that the drums were so powerful that they could actually be ‘felt’. Houston’s epic voice is not possible to replicate and tribute concerts are not designed to do so. Higgins sings with excellent breath control and clear enunciation, and unlike Houston uses mainly the top range of notes, thus the richness of Houston’s voice is not there. Unique new arrangements were used, and at times, I struggled to identify even well-known Houston songs until well into the song.
Two backing vocalists were used and for ‘Saving All My Love’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, the harmonising with Higgins was beautifully melodic and had audience members up and dancing in their seats and the aisles. Most of Houston’s memorable songs from her over 200 million record sales, including the poignant songs, ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go?’, ‘Higher Love’ and the prophetic ‘I Don’t want To Hurt Anymore’ from the film The Bodyguard were featured.
The venue, the beloved early 20th century Regal Theatre has wonderfully comfortable and luxurious new seats, and with both stalls and a balcony there were seating choices for all. The lighting and sound rigs were set for a professional concert, though why the main performer was not lit with a spotlight, was puzzling.
Billed as a 90-minute show, I had to leave when it crept past 2 hours. I was somewhat surprised that a 30-minute interval was included after an hour (possibly to allow fans to buy their promoted CD) as this meant the performance could not, with a second half, have ever been the advertised length. Ignoring advertised times may please some fans, but the many who attend multiple Fringe events are actively disadvantaged and it is potentially disrespectful to other artists in other venues.
For those who enjoy tribute shows, there are more from this company featured during The Fringe.
Jude Hines
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