INTERVIEW: 'Let's Misbehave' to deliver night of sultry, jazzy goodness
If you’re searching for something to fill your Thursday night with that will leave your musical senses positively tingling, ‘Let’s Misbehave’ is luckily right around the corner.
Taking place tomorrow evening on the 10th of December at Lyric Lane Maylands from 8pm is a sparkling trio including epically talented jazz divas Leah Guelfi, Daniella Sicari and Caitlin Cassidy. With a culmination of experience with other ensembles under their belt, these ladies are a brand new combination of performers that are eager to entertain and showcase their vocal veracity.
We spoke to them before their show about their love for jazz music, working together and how tomorrow’s show came to be.
Where was your love and appreciation of jazz born from?
Leah Guelfi (LG): I grew up listening to singers like Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, and then the turning point for me was the jazz show at WAAPA, “Perth variety cavalcade”, where I really found my favorite repertoire!
Caitlin Cassidy (CC): My appreciation for jazz came from listening to great jazz singers from the 50s and 60s growing up like Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland. I took a jazz vocal workshop class at WAAPA and learned about great singers like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae.
Daniella Sicari (DS): My dad would always play a variety of music on the radio when we were driving home from after school activities. Amongst that was a bit of jazz and he used to tell me who the singers were and then ask if I could recognise them the next time, I loved it! When I was then at WAAPA, I actually went to see Leah and Caitlin perform in 'Cavalcade' and was so blown away I started to do some more listening. When it got to my post grad year, they programmed a similar show but with jazz music from the 40s/50s... after that it was pretty safe to say the jazz bug was here to stay.
What appeals to you about cabaret?
LG: I love how it combines the theatrical with jazz. At heart, I am a performer, so cabaret essentially combines opera with jazz.
CC: The appeal is such direct communication with the audience and more creative autonomy than opera.
DS: I really love how cabaret ties the music together with theatre and adds an extra performance element. That connection to an audience and creative licence when picking repertoire is really unique and intentional.
From left to right: Daniella Sicari, Leah Guelfi and Caitlin Cassidy. Photo credit: B&B Studio.
It’s a difficult thing to create something entertaining that tells a story, while also harnessing everyone’s talents. What were some important elements to you when figuring out how to put together a show like 'Let's Misbehave!'?
The important elements of creating “Let’s Misbehave!” was totally led by the music we thought best reflected a night where we can cast off the shackles of discipline and just have an excellent time which is hopefully also had by the audiences. We all sing from slightly different times in jazz but there is a lot of crossover and a lot of music that lasted throughout all of those eras.
Where did the inspiration behind Let’s Misbehave come from? How did you all work together to come up with something palatable?
This concert was born of three singer friends who met at WAAPA studying in the Classical Voice Department, though all three had a concurrent love for jazz singing. In our individual careers, all three of us have ended up singing in concert halls, jazz and cabaret clubs, jazz festivals and Fringe festivals nationally and internationally. Coming from the same background, we thought it was about time we collaborated and did a show together... especially since we found ourselves back in Perth at the same time. Between the three of us, we cover a lot of repertoire so we thought we would pick the favourites and share some fabulous music.
How can people expect to feel after the Let’s Misbehave show?
Your toes will be exhausted from all the tapping and you'll have catchy tunes in your head for days. People can expect to hear some of the best music ever composed so we hope you feel joyous, moved and lifted up after what has been a crazy year!!
Any upcoming gigs/shows we should keep our eyes peeled out for?
All three of us sing in various projects around Perth (and usually the world) so there is always something to look forward to. We are even looking at possibly adding a show of 'Let's Misbehave!' to Perth Fringe, so watch this space.
LG: I have a show called Brassy Broads in Fringe World with Perth Cabaret Collective.
CC: I’m performing in two shows in the Perth Festival next year: The Little Mermaid at Government house and Opera in the Park with West Australian Opera.
DS: Next up I'm singing in 'Side by Side' at Downstairs at the Maj for Fringe World. This is a cabaret style performance of music by Sondheim!
Finally, what’s one tip you would give to performers hoping to work on gaining confidence on stage?
LG: It is super important to look good and develop a bit of a character on stage. It’s amazing how a sparkly dress can give you that confidence!
CC: Confidence comes from preparation and a genuine love for what you’re doing. The rest will follow!
DS: Preparation! After that, you've just got to embrace live performance and allow yourself to learn from every gig. It's also really useful to listen to the greats. Get inspired, learn from those who have done this through the years and those who are doing it now.
