A concert featuring the wonderful songs of Joni Mitchell is sure to entice an enthusiastic audience to Parramatta’s busy and pulsing Riverside Theatre. Queenie van de Zandt delivers a polished and informative show to the appreciative crowd. An excellent trio comprising Hugh Fraser on bass, Gary Vickery on guitars and Daniel Edmonds on piano and stand in musical director supports Queenie. These talented musicians were a highlight of the evening and featured some delightful and entertaining arrangements. Queenie skill as a singer is impressive. She covers the extraordinary vocal and dynamic range required for Joni Mitchell’s songs although in a different style than the passionate folk music reflectiveness of Joni. Her style of singing and warmth suits the cabaret and storytelling format of the evening.
Queenie opened with ‘Blue’, one of Joni Mitchell’s great love songs that appears on her album of the same name. The album ‘Blue’ features on various lists as one of the greatest albums of all time so it almost selects itself as a song to include in the show. This raises the difficult question what songs should be included in a performance showcasing Joni Mitchell songs. On Joni Mitchell’s website there is an article listing the thirty greatest songs of Joni Mitchell. It acknowledges that this a subjective list and is assembled with assistance from Roger McGuinn, Matthew E. White, Graham Nash, Linda Perhacs, Mike Heron and others. David Crosby was asked to pick a best song and said that there are thirty or forty best songs.
The story Queenie has chosen to focus on followed the birth of her own daughter, causing her to think about the impact on Joni’s career of having to making the difficult decision to have her daughter adopted. With songs such as ‘Tea Leaf Prophecy’, ‘River’, and ‘All I Want’ Queenie tells the story, mid-song, of how they reveal elements of Joni’s life. Queenie also uses recordings of significant people in Joni’s life to give some immediate and intimate revelations of her influences and experiences. Other songs featured included ‘My Old Man’, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, ‘Woodstock’ and ‘The Circle Game’.
As we walked through Prince Alfred Square in Parramatta in a serendipitous moment the crocuses were in full bloom. A song featured in the cabaret was Little Green, featuring the line, “There’ll be crocuses to bring to school tomorrow.”
‘Blue: The Songs of Joni Mitchell’, starring Queenie van de Zandt and written by Queenie together with Max Lambert played the Riverside Theatre, Parramatta on 12th February, 2021.