Last night had a reel Italian vibe. Not only was the singer Italian, singing in Italian but a lot of the near full house audience was Italian as well.
Etta D’Elia, resplendent in her red dress, gave us a set of Italian classic songs, many of which we knew well. Songs like That’s Amore, Mambo Italiano, Volare and Quando Quando Quando had the audience tapping their feet and swaying along. Audience participation was further encouraged with singing and even an all-in dance routine.
In between songs, Etta shared some of the Italian culture like the lesson in hand gestures where we learnt the gesture for coffee, spaghetti and ‘I told you so’.
With the band being from Italy, Chile and Greece, the brass/woodwind musician made us laugh when he announced he was from Balga.
Etta has been singing and performing since childhood and is classically trained. We saw Etta’s range when she broke into a bit of opera style. Her two backup singers along with the excellent band performed and combined well with Etta.
The performance on a whole was lively and joyful. A near full moon hung in the night sky, and along with the humidity, added to the party atmosphere. The next day we both had an ear worm singing in our heads. Not surprisingly, its Mambo Italiano.
Buona Sera Signorina: Italian Music Meets Jazz
Who: Suitable for all audiences
Where:The Courtyard at State Theatre Centre of WA
When: Season has ended
