The Divine Miss Bette

With big hair and big voice Catherine Alcorn attacks the sacred memory of American star Bette Midler in the 70s and 80s – rumbustious, raucous, straight-out brilliant. Okay, she doesn’t quite make it – who could? – but she nevertheless has a damn good crack at the elusive title of Divine Miss Bette. 

In full kit, with huge honey blonde hair, overflowing chest and wickedly made-up eyes, she teeters on and, for two hours, sashays non-stop about the stage. She’s certainly a powerhouse. 

With a 4-piece band and 2 hard-working girls (The Harlettes) accompanying her, she blasts out all the great songs that are attached to Midler’s name: Delta Dawn, Do You Wanna Dance?, From a Distance, Stay With Me Baby, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Friends and, of course, the stand-out ballad Wind Beneath My Wings. 

In between we hear the many scabrous jokes and one-liners that have been attached to the Midler legend. Alcorn picks out the (mainly male) members of the audience she can have some fun with, and generally pits one side of the house against the other. By the end of the show ¬– certainly by the end of the second half ¬– she has burrowed her way in to general acclaim.

Kirby Burgess and Phoebe Panaretos are better dressed in the second half, too, and add zip and sex appeal to the proceedings. With David Andrews on piano, Glen Moorhouse on guitar and Geoff Green on drums there’s plenty of oomph when required. Crick Boue makes a real impression on the bass guitar.

Frank Hatherley