California Crooners Club @ The Grand Ballroom at Hilton Adelaide, Adelaide 1/3/2018
One of my favourite shows from last year’s Fringe was the California Crooners Club so it was on the top of my list to see again. While last year there were three Crooners this year Hugh Sheridan and Emile Welman are joined by two new club members, Conner Boatman and T-Soul. Now a foursome, the new additions had added more soul, more funk and a whole lot more of fun!
The champagne was flowing at their new venue The Grand Ballroom at Hilton Adelaide. It was a full house on opening night Thursday 1st March. There are two sessions on the nights they are playing 6:30pm and 8:30pm and I attended the late session. From the moment the band started playing the atmosphere was electric. The smooth rhythms of the hit song Havana by Camilla Cabello started playing to make way for the grand entrance of the four Crooners. It’s their signature move to walk through the crowd giving lucky audience members smiles, hugs and even kisses and that’s why we keep coming back!
Hugh and the boys charismatic banter in between songs is a fun part of the show. They make you gush like a giddy little school girl and leave you swooning for more. When the cutie of the club Conner Boatman came to my table and seductively kissed me on the cheek..well… this girls heart simply melted. Thanks Conner! There were many moments of cheekiness and the audience were lapping it up at every chance.
The charm of the California Crooners Club is they can take an old school Cole Porter song like Night and Day or Sinatra’s I Got You Under My Skin and make it their own while then belting out some new school favourites from Justin Bieber or Adele to give them that ole Crooners touch!
When the boys strip down to their under tees then you know they mean business. Wooing us with soulful tunes and smooth harmonies of songs like Gladys Night’s Midnight Train to Georgia and James Arthurs Say You Wont Let Go. For the first time anywhere, the Crooners sang a brand new song written by Hugh Sheridan called The Dreamers. A song that inspired him by recent events and changes in Australia as well as missing home when he lives in LA.
Considering they always get requests for songs and having so many to choose from they finally included the ole Sinatra classic New York New York. Adding a special touch they mashed up the Sinatra favourite with Alicia Keys big hit of New York New York giving it a magical touch leaving us all in awe!
California Crooners Club is a definite must see show at the Adelaide Fringe. The first weekend’s shows are already sold out, so you need to get yourself in to gear and buy tickets now before you miss out.
Fringe Review by Anastasia Lambis
For more info and tickets to the California Crooners Club head to https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/california-crooners-club-af2018