An Evening with David Bedella, The Crazy Coqs (online) - ★★★★ - January 9, 2021


An Evening with David Bedella at The Crazy Coqs, the chicest cabaret venue in London, encourages you to sit back and sip a glass of Shiraz whilst enjoying an hour of immaculately performed easy-listening music interspersed with pleasant chat. The only thing missing is a live audience. This unavoidable absence somewhat dampens the atmosphere as enthusiastic applause would definitely greet Bedella's accomplished singing and enhance the ambience. Sadly, we can't have everything these days and the dozen or so well chosen songs are well worth the price of the streaming. We felt that the opening number was, perhaps, a little frenetic and really needed a chorus of showgirls to make it work, but things quickly settled into a playlist of delightfully relaxed numbers. Eydie Gormé's “Too Close for Comfort” rubbed shoulders with David Bowie's “Life on Mars?” before a sly dig at the government with Cy Coleman's “There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This.” Pianist and arranger Steve Clark provided superb accompaniment to David Bedella's velvety voice as we journeyed from Country to Broadway via standards like Johnny Mathis' “One Day in your Life.” For us, the wonderful “I Won't Send Roses” was the highlight of the evening. Everything about this show oozes classy New York Cabaret and is probably best watched while relaxing late in the evening. Unsurprisingly, in the current climate, David and Steve opted for a slightly downbeat and contemplative finale expressing a sentiment we can all hope for “Let There Be Peace On Earth.”

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by D.S.J.

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