Evergreen sounds of Streisand
FOR the past decade, singer Avigail Herman has been performing a musical show about her idol, superstar performer Barbra Streisand.
From the curly, blonde hair to the trademark nose and powerful voice, Herman’s resemblance to the superstar singer is uncanny.
This month Herman is bringing her one-woman show, Hey World, Here I Am – The Streisand Story, to the Melbourne Cabaret Festival in a revised and expanded form at the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Salon.
“This show is [in a] much bigger format and has allowed me to rewrite some material and include new songs and stories,” she says.
“It’s a new version of the show. You have to do the old favourites (such as The Way We Were and People) as well as a range of new material.
“Barbra recorded a new album last year, so that has given me an opportunity to include songs from it as well. She has been performing for 50 years and her songs are so great. There is so much wonderful material to choose from ranging from her shows and films to pop and classical. There’s something for everybody. You could do a three-hour show and still be scratching the surface.”
Herman stresses that she does not impersonate Streisand, but offers a tribute to her virtuosity in her own style.
“The audience will get to know more about her and also learn something about me,” she says
“The curly hair, the fine features. I have a kind of New York energy, and it’s the Jewish thing. There are a lot worse people to be compared to!”
After her Melbourne performances on July 20 and 21 Herman will take the show to Brisbane and Sydney.
The Sydney-based performer has been in the business for more than 30 years, involved in singing, acting, teaching and directing. Recently she directed a production of The Pirates of Penzance in Sydney and is due to travel to Hobart for a workshop as part of the Festival of Voices.
The third annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival will feature more than 100 Australian and international performers in 35 cabaret shows from July 12-21. Among the top acts are The Fabulous Singlettes, Candice McQueen and the Janet Seidel Trio.
Comedian Elliot Goblet (played by Jack Levi) will team up with stand-up comics Akmal Saleh, Flacco (Paul Livingston), Geraldine Quinn and Peter Denahy for shows at the Crimson Goat Cabaret Club.
Hey World, Here I Am – The Streisand Story is at the Melbourne Recital Centre from July 20-21. Bookings: www.melbournecabaret.com.
REPORT by Danny Gocs
PHOTO of Avigail Herman
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