Megan Hilty In Concert

2016’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival got off to a bold start with this singularly inspiring performance from Broadway star Megan Hilty – best known for her starring role in the TV soap opera, Smash and for her four-year stint playing Glinda in the enduring hit musical, Wicked. It is unfortunate that she was only able to grace Adelaide with one performance before jetting off to New York, where she will be attending this year’s Tony Awards, as a nominee for her performance in the revival of Michael Frayn’s classic backstage farce, Noises Off.  Hilty proved that she had considerable flair as a comedienne, as well as a powerful set of pipes that command one’s attention without being ostentatious, or overwhelming the emotional content of the song.

Casual fans, familiar with Hilty through her appearances in Smash and Wicked, were no doubt satisfied that Hilty included heartfelt renditions of the show’s signature ballads very early in her set. Long term devotees of Hilty’s career were also rewarded with songs that showcased some of her less well known work. Her stellar performance of material from the cult musical 9 To 5 leaves one mystified as to why the show itself failed to set the box office on fire. Her downright heart-wrenching performance of material from Little Shop Of Horrors (she once auditioned for the part of Audrey but ultimately didn’t get it), only made me question the sanity of the producers who turned her down. The behind the scenes anecdotes that Hilty regaled the audience with in between performing these numbers contained a well balanced mix of humour and pathos. The remainder of her set was a pleasant combination of standards from the great American songbook (“Autumn Leaves”, “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “Get Happy”) and strikingly intelligent original material from her first solo album.

Hilty’s stage-patter was frequently flustered and her tendency to launch into gushing descriptions of commonplace things was rather eccentric, but this actually added to the charm of the performance, as self-deprecation is an integral component of her comic style. Hopefully she’ll grace the Adelaide Cabaret Festival with her presence again, when she’s not so pressed for time and can commit to a longer run.

Benjamin Orchard

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