Image: Megan Washington via NGV
The Unplugged Live series at the NGV’s Ian Potter Centre is a curious beast. An optimist would see it as an excellent opportunity to see impressive contemporary artists perform at a family-friendly time, and to see them interviewed and gain new insights into their work. To the pessimist, these sessions are awkward, with the performance interrupted by stilted interviews and toddler tantrums from children eager to demonstrate that no time, not even 2pm, is a great time for a small child to watch an adult contemporary show.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle, and in Washington’s case, was even more heightened by her popularity, with the chamber in which she performed reaching capacity well before she even appeared on stage. The crowded room meant that parents’ escape routes with bored children were limited, and it also gave the show a less relaxed feel.
Jae Laffer, of The Panics, is hosting the Unplugged Live series and unfortunately his interviewing style lets the spoken segments of the show down. When speaking to Washington, Laffer tended to ask lengthy, multi-faceted questions that seemed to attempt to direct the conversation in very specific ways, rather than finding a natural flow. Washington’s replies were considerably better, and it was impressive to get an insight into her thoughts as a performer and artist, but a more free-flowing conversation would have benefited the show.
Ah, but there can be no denying the performance skills of Megan Washington – she is a force to be reckoned with once her fingers strike the piano keys. Despite being, in her words, “a little dusty” at the Sunday afternoon gig, her musical numbers were hauntingly lovely. Her voice rang through the gallery as she performed tracks from her latest album There There, including Begin Again and the single Limitless, before closing with the popular early-career single How To Tame Lions. Even dusty, Washington can command a room with her music, and despite the awkwardness of the Sunday afternoon format, made it truly worthwhile.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Unplugged Live
National Gallery of Victoria
Ian Potter Centre
Performed by Megan Washington
Hosted by Jae Laffer
2 August 2015
