Bernadette Robinson has been in the music industry for a long time, selling out one-woman shows for over a decade, but, according to the singer, it’s been a part of her life for even longer.
“I was the fourth child of seven, so when I was born there wasn’t much room, and I had the cot near the television,” she said.
“I just got to humming along with the ads, and apparently I could sing before I could speak.”
Over time, Robinson grew to love the sounds of different women’s voices, picking up a lot of their nuances and cultivating the characteristics of those she really loved. Eventually, this would accidentally become her schtick.
But, it wasn’t until she met director and long-term collaborator Simon Phillips at a Melbourne Theatre Company show that everything changed.
“I contacted Melbourne Theatre Company and asked them if I could have a meeting with him, which I did, and he said ‘I’d love to do something with you, but I do plays – this is a theatre company!’,” she said.
“I said ‘Yes, but Joanna Murray-Smith’s a great playwright, and she wrote ‘Bombshell’ for Caroline O’Connor. Could we do something like that?’, and we did.”
Robinson and Phillips went on to work together on ‘Songs For Nobodies’ – a now-critically acclaimed show which was a hit both nationally and over in London – as well as ‘Pennsylvania Avenue’, and more.
Her newest show ‘Divas’ is along the same line, but with a twist, sharing the songs and stories of some of the greatest divas of all-time.
“’Divas’ is really much more about the singers and their songs,” she said.
“It’s not a play as such, but it’s 10 of the most diverse styles of women vocalists, and great singers and singers I admire right across from Amy Winehouse to Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand.”
According to Robinson, speaking and singing in such unique voices has made the show one of her most challenging yet.
“Amy Winehouse is a bit tricky, but I loved her after a while,” she said.
“Karen Carpenter is also a tricky singer, because she’s got quite a low voice, and quite a steady line in her voice, so there’s a control there. She comes out of Bassey, who’s a big belter, so bringing her down from ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ to a tiny Karen Carpenter, which is a very different style, is quite tricky.”
After touring Australia and New Zealand, she can’t wait to bring the show to Riverside this month, guaranteeing a night of entertainment and variety for audiences.
“It’s everything they can imagine and more – there’s the opera, there’s the drama, and it’s full of surprises,” she said.
Bernadette Robinson’s ‘Divas’ will be on at Riverside Theatres Parramatta from Thursday, February 15 to Saturday, February 17. Tickets start at $49. For more information or to book, visit http://riversideparramatta.com.au.
Cassidy Pearce is Parra News' entertainment journalist and beauty columnist. She is a graduate of the University of Technology Sydney.