What I liked
See overall.
What I didn't like
Who am I to say?..
My overall impression
This performance blew me away. Though set in 1976, Rainee Blake’s tribute to Joni Mitchell is timeless. With an elegantly simple staging and costumed in perfectly rendered blonde hair and a beautiful long blue velvet dress, Blake’s show doesn’t depend on in your face ’70s nostalgia. As a result, nothing distracts from the music, the songwriting, and all of the emotions within. This is not a biographical show where we learn all the details of Mitchell’s life and career, though, through sweetly brief story vignettes (done so well as to seem like mere spontaneous vamping while tuning up her next instrument), we do get an impressionistic view of Mitchell’s personal life and musical associations and friendships. But it’s quickly back to another song. I’ve performed as an actor and musician for many years, and I can only dream of being as graceful and effortless as Rainee Blake is playing these incredibly challenging guitar and vocal songs, as well as maintaining the veil of such a well known persona. It was beauty moment after moment. Being in the audience was an absolute treat. Please extend this show, and please get your tickets right away.
