Parting The Red Curtains. Written by Queenie van de Zandt & Peter J. Casey. Performed by Queenie van de Zandt. February 28 and March 1, 8pm. $49 adult, $44 concession, $25 under 25.
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BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell. Devised and performed by Queenie van de Zandt. March 2 and 3 at 8pm. $55 adults, $50 concessions, $25 under 25.
Bookings for both: 6285 6290 or theq.net.au.
Former Canberran Queenie van de Zandt is bringing two shows to the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre that display different sides of her talent.
First up is Parting the Red Curtains, written with another former Canberran, composer-performer Peter J. Casey. It is, van de Zandt says, "a show that takes it up the arts".
In it, she plays her longtime comedy character Jan van de Stool, whom she describes as an "international musical therapist".
Jan, she says, has become very famous since she was last in town, with international celebrities - "everyone you can imagine" - lining up to benefit from her talents as a musical masseuse and singing psychologist.
"Now she's a somebody, not just a nobody but she remembers what it was like to be a nobody. She wants to bring the secrets of celebrities to the nobodies."
Hence, she is coming to the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre to bring her musical wisdom - and those celebrity secrets - to the people of Queanbeyan and Canberra. Some members of the audience may get to benefit directly from her talents on the night.
However, van de Zandt hints, the session might not come off as smoothly as Jan has planned.
While Parting the Red Curtains is comic, BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell strikes a different note.
Accompanied by a three-piece band, she will perform her own interpretations of and tell the stories behind some of the classic Mitchell songs including Both Sides Now, Little Green, Big Yellow Taxi and "my absolute favourite", A Case of You.
"It's a beautifully emotional, melancholy exploration of Joni Mitchell's music and her life," van de Zandt says. She wrote it with musician Max Lambert, who plays the piano.
"Joni is my favourite singer/songwriter and I've been wanting to do a show about her and her music for some time. She gave a daughter up for adoption early in her career and her music was so influenced by this experience. Having recently given birth to a daughter, it felt like a perfect time to explore this mother and daughter relationship and the effect that becoming a parent has on your creativity."
The show won Best Cabaret Performance and Best Cabaret Performer Awards in the BroadwayWorld Australia Regional Awards and the The Lee Young Award for the Most Outstanding Cabaret Performance in The Glugs Theatrical Awards. It's already had successful seasons in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
