With this hilarious show Christina Bianco releases the diva in all of us, thanks to some impressive impersonations of the world’s biggest divas.
Featuring all your favourite divas in one show through the voice of one extraordinarily talented singer and performer, O Come, All Ye Divas is a heartwarming and engaging show during which you are never quite sure which direction it is going to take.
As it is a festive show Christina Bianco treats the audience to some festive classics such as ‘O Holy Night’ and Lily Allen’s cover of Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ (last year’s John Lewis advert song of choice) – but with a twist.
It is very difficult to impersonate someone’s speaking voice, let alone capturing a diva’s extraordinary singing voice yet Bianco manages to convince the audience that the likes of Barbra Streisand and Shirley Bassey (two excellent impressions) are in fact inhabiting her body.
There are plenty of highlights to be appreciated, including getting the audience involved in selecting a diva and song choice for Bianco to sing unrehearsed – forcing the musicians and her to perform almost impulsively. One such interesting choice was listening to what Dolly Parton’s version of Kate Bush’s ‘December Will be Magic Again’, showing how a different voice can change what we think and associate with the song.
Yet, Bianco also has extraordinary talent as a singer without the impressions as seen in a few numbers dotted between the diva moments, that really showcase the full range of her voice.
But it isn’t all about the music. There are moments when Bianco focuses on simply the impressions – for example doing a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas featuring voices such as Sharon Osborne, Amy Childs and Penelope Cruz for example.
Although the show has plenty of variety and charm to entertain the audience, there are some moments when it feels as though she gets carried away with her impressions, cramming in as many as possible that it almost feels weighed down with the number of which she does.
At times, some of the impressions are a bit hit and miss. Bianco’s Shirley Bassey’s voice is incredible and spot on as is her Billie Holiday and Julie Andrews impressions, but others don’t feel quite so well prepared including her Keira Knightly and Adele voices.
But this is a minor quibble for this ambitious show by Christna Bianco, who is more than amply supported by a fantastic group of musicians led by Musical Director and piano player Joe Louis Robinson.
Light, festive entertainment that will leave you wanting to unleash your inner diva and wanting more from this talented performer. It is worth catching if you can.
Christina Bianco’s O Come, All Ye Divas will be performed at the Charing Cross Theatre until the 7th January 2017. To book tickets visit: Discount Theatre.com, Ticketmaster.co.uk, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk , Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.