By CAMERON MCCULLOUGH
Have you heard of Betty Davis? No, not the actress, the singer. I have said it a hundred of times over the last decade since I got my hands on Anti Love Song, an album from 1973 that just blew my mind.
Now, the love (or anti-love) is set to be spread as They Say She’s Different is set to hit the Melbourne Fringe Festival with a wall of funk.
They Say She’s Different is part music concert, part theatre, part film, blurring the lines between a live music gig and theatrical experience. This will challenge the way you experience theatre and music.
Provocative and hard-edged, screeching like a cat on heat, prepared to be immersed in the early 70s where sex sells, music is god, women are shouting out, and funk diva Betty Davis was at the cutting edge of music.
They Say She’s Different is the unknown story of the original funk-rock diva Betty Davis, a singer-songwriter who was briefly married to jazz legend Miles Davis, friends with Jimi Hendrix, dated Eric Clapton, and recorded with the Sly Stone family. Heavily influencing Miles’ music including cult creations Bitches Brew, and Filles de Kilimanjaro (of which Betty graces the cover).
She was the connection they all wanted. The new they all dared to be. She was the lover to funk, soul, blues, and jazz.
Starring Cecilia Low (Chicago, RENT, The Lion King) as the diva herself, They Say She’s Different centres around Betty’s early music career giving us a glimpse into the heady world of music, women’s liberation and a changing society as the creators re-imagine what a Betty Davis gig might have been like.
It will be edgy. It will be gritty. It will be loud and dirty. It will be fun and funky. Prepare yourself you’ll want to boogie!
Featuring a rock star cast and crew: the extraordinarily talented Tony Kopa (The Truth, Headspace) as musical director, Aussie legend Phil Ceberano on guitar, Thommy Man on drums, Glen Reither on Keys and Sax (Icehouse), the divine Miss Eliza Wolfgramm on vocals, and superman Cameron Zayec providing astonishing cinematic content.
This will be one hell of a good night out. But more importantly, it is a once in a lifetime chance to experience the unforgettable sound of one of musics hidden gems.
Wear your dancing shoes with your finest 70s threads for full F.U.N.K experience and prepare to get your dirty groove on!
They Say She’s Different is playing at The Melbourne Fringe Festival.
VENUE: Fringe Hub, Boardwalk Republic, The Big House Gasworks, 21 Graham Street, Albert Park
22-26 September, 7.45pm, doors open 7.30pm (60 mins)
To book tickets visit melbournefringe.com.au or call 03 9660 9666.
Full $35/concession $28/cheap Tuesdays: $25
