Having been requested to arrive at least 15 minutes before the show, the crowd milled about awaiting entry into the general admission seats at Chapel off Chapel. Punters became a little restless and hot before finally being admitted a little after 9pm. All was forgiven when the throng was eventually seated and Fem Belling and the musicians came onto the stage.
The performance space included a grand piano, double bass and drums, as well as a table set up with a telephone, a writing pad, a bottle of red, a full wine glass and a picture of Blossom Dearie (1924-2009), an American jazz singer and pianist often remembered for her light, girlish voice.
Belling wore a leopard skin dressing gown and commenced her dialogue by ‘writing’ a letter to Blossom Dearie – ‘Dear Blossom’. A touch of fanaticism was intimated in her words, and confirmed with her first song, ‘Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You’, with such lyrics as ‘I’ve a powerful anaesthesia in my fist and the perfect wrist to give your neck a twist…but everything I’ve got belongs to you’.
We were then transported to France with the able assistance of Joe Ruberto on piano accordion and some old audio from Blossom Dearie. Fem took off her leopard skin dressing gown to reveal a brown and yellow floral full length dress. Fem dropped into character as Blossom Dearie and, after giving a little spiel on Blossom’s musical exploits in Paris, launched into ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ in French (a hit for Blossom Dearie in France in 1954).
Fem moved effortlessly between storytelling and singing, and between her two characters – the obsessed fan, Marjoram, and Blossom Dearie herself. The band were superlative and the show was clearly a team effort. Humour was injected into the performance with interplay between the band members, who assisted in portraying Blossom’s reaction to receiving letters from her delusional admirer.
Songs such as ‘Someone’s Been Sending Me Flowers’ and ‘I’m Following You’ had the crowd engaged with the story and laughing along. A poignant highlight was Marjoram’s moving version of ‘Lush Life’ in which we were treated to Belling’s lower register and prodigious vocal control – truly a chill-inducing performance.
Fem finished the show and thanked the musicians then immediately went on to say, ‘As if we didn’t have an encore!’ She led some crowd participation and had everyone willingly singing ‘doo bee doo bee doos’ before departing the stage. The crowd still wanted more and the band came back with a beautiful, impromptu version of ‘Autumn Leaves’ sung in French and English (clearly unrehearsed, as Belling acknowledged that she’d forgotten the lyrics in French and called to Joe as to whether he knew the words in Italian!).
‘Dear Blossom’ was an incredibly demanding show. A seasoned jazz and stage performer, Belling didn’t ever miss a note, falter or lose track. She was bright, expressive, captivating, inclusive and confident. She held one’s interest from start to finish, ensuring her audience learned something of Blossom Dearie’s life along the way.
Running slightly under the advertised 90 minutes, the crowd was buzzing with praise as they left and clearly well satisfied with the performance.
Star Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
Fem Belling in Dear Blossom
Fem Belling (vocals/violin/piano)
Joe Ruberto (piano/accordian)
Dean Addison (Double Bass)
Gideon Marcus (Drums)
Directed by Troy Sussman
Chapel off Chapel, Prahran
29 – 30 June
Melbourne Cabaret Festival
melbournecabaret.com
26 June – 7 July
