Camille O’Sullivan – Loveletter

Adelaide Festival

Her Majesty’s Theatre

4 March 2025

****

Supported only by Feargal Murray mainly on piano, Camille O’Sullivan delivered a thoroughly entertaining virtual one-woman performance.

As the title suggests, it was a love letter to the songwriters whom she most respects with focus on the two more recently departed Irish favourites, Sinéad O’Connor and former Pogues front man, Shane MacGowan. But it was delivered in a way that only O’Sullivan could. There was irreverence, much humour, self-depreciation and so on in her often lengthy but entertaining dissertations between songs, not to mention almost hyperactivity as she utilized most of the stage as she delivered her monologues. She simply could not stay in the same place for more than a second, unless of course she was lying , kneeling or whatever on the stage.

In between all this mayhem O’Sullivan managed to woo the audience with superb performances. Aside from O’Conner and McGowan, who both featured several times, she acknowledged Jacques Brel  with an unaccompanied version of  “Amsterdam”, Kirsty McColl with “In These Shoes”, Nick Cave “Jubilee Street” and so on. You get the idea!

Keeping the show more or less grounded was Murray on piano, electric piano, trumpet and backing vocals. Whilst his was a support role it was also an essential one and his accompaniment was just the ticket.

The performance was listed on the programme as being two hours, including interval. That was of no concern to O’Sullivan! On went the show that finally concluded thirty-five minutes late with the great entertainer jumping off the stage and running out to the foyer to greet her fans as they left the theatre!

A show to remember.