Beck’s Music Box
February 21, 2011
Martha Wainwright’s career so far – the part of it that sells out two nights at Beck’s Music Box, anyway – has been a series of spectacular vignettes with a compelling back story. Wainwright worked her way through 11 of the 15 tracks on her 2009 album of Edith Piaf’s lesser-known songs, Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, á Paris. Two weeks ago, on stage in San Francisco, she conceded that they “get boring” after a while. She was right.
Things improved markedly when we were treated to some of her own material and a selection from her late mother Kate McGarrigle’s peerless repertoire. But there was too little of it, only a few songs, and we were back with more from the Piaf album to wind up the show.
I suspect, judging from the enthusiasm of the applause at the end and for the encore, that I may be in a surly minority of people underwhelmed by the show. I’m sad about that – I’m an unabashed fan and look forward to what Martha Wainwright does next.
But I’m more disappointed for the audience, not for what they were given, but for what they missed.
Click here to read the complete review in The West Australian
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