THE last time a Perth audience saw Rachael Beck on WA stages, she was struggling with bipolar disorder in the Black Swan State Theatre Company production Next to Normal.
Her return performance in cabaret show This Girl, an intimate journey through her life and career told in song and stories, is very different.
Beck created the show in 2014 for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival after the release of her first solo album of the same name.
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READ NOW“I’d wanted to create a show of my own for quite some time,” the Sydneysider said.
“A few people had asked me to do something so I decided to finally do it.”
The mother of two, whose latest project was as a vocalist on production Strictly Gershwin with Queensland Symphony and Queensland Ballet, said she loved the flexibility of her career which allowed her to do different types of shows for different sized audiences.
This has seen her in anything from large scale musicals including Singing in the Rain, Les Miserables and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to smaller gigs such as This Girl.
“It’s different playing yourself rather than playing a character,” Beck said.
“I like it because you can control it more and say whatever you want to say; if the audience interjects, you can just play off that.
“This Girl is an insight into how I came to be a performer with stories and songs from my album, songs from major career roles, songs I’ve always loved and others that have been influential to my career.”
Beck will be accompanied by pianist Tom O’Halloran, who is head of the WAAPA jazz piano department.
“I think one of our basic human needs is connection and I hope that people really connect with my story,” she said.
“I think people will glean just a bit more about me and my soul and my journey.
“And hopefully they will be entertained while hearing a few bits of inside goss.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Rachael Beck – This Girl
Where: Downstairs at the Maj
When: June 16 to 18
Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au