Piaf and Brel: The Impossible Concert

Sisterscene—Red River College

I tell people that I review for the Fringe and quite often, they marvel that you get to see as many shows as you want, whatever you want, and whenever you want. It’s not quite like that. Yes, we do get a fair amount of freedom to pick what we see but as the week goes on, the selections narrow. We coordinate
with our group to be sure that we don’t overlap and quite often you’re stuck with whatever’s free.

This is how I ended up at Piaf and Brel—and it’s the best thing that happened to me all Fringe.

Coming into this venue, I knew nothing about the show. What or who the heck are Piaf and Brel? It turns out that one’s a famous composer and the other’s a famous singer. Who knew? Apparently everyone in the audience but me.

I may not know much about the title characters but I know a lot about music—and what we get here is great music, coupled with exceptional entertainment. Melanie Gall immediately engages the audience with her commanding voice and shackles your eager attention for the entirety of the spectacle. Her expert storytelling sets the tone and the songs envelop you into their mystique.

From sad to solemn, sexy to sensual, sprightly to spirited, she draws you into the moment and cradles you through the experience. During this hour, my mind has sat on the Champs Elysees, journeyed to the Middle East, and watched my best friend die.

By the end, I think I held in tears of joy as I enjoyed this event so thoroughly. This is one of the best shows I’ve seen in all my years of Fringing.

Ray Yuen