The Hummingbird Effect: Positive Ripples – Adelaide Fringe Review

The Lab at Queen’s Theatre, Wed Feb 28 [CABARET - SA] The stage looked very elegant with grand piano, soft lighting, and incense smoke curling up around dream catchers. A few subliminal messages about what was to come right there! Deborah Brennan has spent much of the last 2 years touring her tribute to Joni Mitchell show, A Case Of You. The Hummingbird Effect tells the story of a period in her life before that show was born, and it all hinges on a chance meeting with a stranger at a folk festival and the ripples that floated out into her life from that point on. It’s an interesting enough tale – even if you don’t buy in to the some of the New Age-y assumptions surrounding it – and Brennan certainly has the stage presence to pull it off. She spins a good yarn and the fact that she is an accomplished pianist and singer as well makes for an impressive package. Songs from the likes of Eurythmics (Sweet Dreams), Phil Collins (In The Air Tonight), and David Bowie (Heroes) provide wonderful musical interludes, and time to reflect on the story being told. Interestingly it was a Joni Mitchell song that was the musical highlight of the show – Brennan does them so well. Story telling with musical accompaniment is an established entertainment tradition, and is enormously entertaining when it’s done well. It‘s not usually done with grand piano however, but Brennan could easily carve out a niche for herself in this space if her Hummingbird Effect continues to ripple out in that direction! 3.5 stars Michael Coghlan