Review: Claire Sweeney at The Crazy Coqs

Regular readers might remember we had a little chat with this lovely lady last week, and this week we got to hear her sing. Yes indeed – on Monday night we headed to firm favourite, Brasserie Zédel to enjoy the first night of Claire Sweeney’s solo show at Crazy Coqs.

So what did we think? We had a fabulous time. This was good, old-fashioned, cruise-cabaret fun. The tunes we love, a wee bit of banter, and a shedload of sequins. While she gets full marks on the sparkle front, it was really Sweeney’s voice which charmed us. Belter after belter she served, hitting every note with power and passion. At one point she told us she had performed as Celine Dion on Stars in their Eyes (anyone remember that show? #childhooddreams right there) which doesn’t even remotely surprise me.

The music choices were excellent too – a nice mix of jazz, ballad and show tune. But it wasn’t until right at the end when Sweeney showed – I think – the full range of her talents. Performing (what else?) an Andrew Lloyd-Webber medley, she gave me honest-to-goodness goosebumps with her Evita, followed by a rendition of Memories which gave me a lump in the throat.

She then followed that with Shout… which spoiled the mood somewhat – but I suppose the idea was not to have everyone leave weeping.

And, of course, a certain level of credit has to be given to the ever-magical Zédel. The gorgeous intimacy of the Crazy Coqs worked so well with Sweeney’s anecdotes about her career – it felt like she had put on a show especially for us.

So, if you want to feel special, and enjoy the glitz and glam of this old-school starlet, then we say – excellent choice. Head over to the VBO site now to get your ticket for the final showing on Monday 9th July.