The Gospel According To Marica Hines @ Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide 17/6/2022

Marcia Hines; Australia’s Queen of Pop is much much more than Pop. While we are used to Hines in the hit show Velvet with its disco themes, The Gospel According to Marica Hines is where she shows audiences where her true talent lies; Gospel. So effortless and natural she began the show with an acapella version of the well-known and popular song Amazing Grace, her voice still as powerful as ever. From then on it was a journey through to her childhood memories growing up in Boston all in the form of reverent song.

Backed up with a four piece band including musical director Joe Accaria, her own four back-up Gospel singers and Adelaide’s own The Gospel Collective, the talent was on show tonight. With hand clapping and toe tapping tunes, some familiar and others more sentimental for Hines the evening was one of sweet and soulful reflection. Anyone waiting for the high energy and over the top American south kind of Gospel may be surprised that according to Hines it’s a deep and personal New England version.

Songs inspired and influenced from her Godmother Florence ‘Flo’ James it was easy to get caught up in the rapture of the gospel energy with the clapping beats of Down by the River, the soulful greats How Great Thou Art, What a Friend in Jesus, Many Rivers to Cross, Abide With Me, Morning Has Broken to the contemporary tunes like Bill Withers Lean on Me, Paul Simon’s boppy Love Me Like a Rock and Kirk Franklin’s Take me to the King. But the biggest mover of the night was the Mary Mary song Shackle (Praise You). You couldn’t help but move the feet and wave those arms about!

There were a good mix of contemplative and upbeat classics as well as Hine’s own hits I Don’t Know How to Love Him from her time in the Australian version of the hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar, From the Inside and You. Finishing off with the very popular Oh Happy Days and the 1970 George Harrison hit My Sweet Lord, the audience were all clapping, up on their feet singing along. As Marica Hines said “Music touches us in so many ways”, and it certainly was a night we were touched by the soulful sounds of The Gospel According to Marica Hines.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review By Anastasia Lambis