ILLUSIONS - a French Cabaret - CANCELLED

Millar weaves the tale through superlative acting and her sublime mezzo soprano voice. era, she knows how to inhabit a character so that you in the audience forget that you're in a small venue, and are there with her. The character is a tragic figure, since the constant battles make her increasingly dissolute, but it's no spoiler to say she pulls through having learned the hard way.

Chanteuse, Anne Millar, a classical singer who has 35 years with the West Australian Opera under her belt, has partnered with local wizard on the keys, David Wickham, for this cabaret with heart. Illusions – A French Cabaret follows the journey of a lovesick Aussie ingénue and sees her develop into a mature woman, all through the lens of her romantic encounters in 1930s Paris. The whole concept of the show seems to be built around the song, Illusions, originally performed by Marlene Dietrich in A Foreign Affair in 1948, and this idea works well as it focuses on the older woman reflecting on her experiences. .. and Millar’s rendition of Non, Je Nes Regrette Rien has to be the best I’ve heard, with amusing playfulness added to this classic number through the worship of French pastries. Erin Hutchitson (Seesaw Magazine) January 2022

Femme Fatales – A History The Moon House Tent Review: Graham Hansen Though it was not until the 20th century that the "femme fatale" archetype received that appellation, women's dark power of seduction has been a storytelling theme since before Odysseuswas bewitched in Homer's The Odyssey. Embracing the archetype, WA Opera mezzo-sopranos Anne Millar and Sonni Byrne appea as innuendo spouting, slinky gown clad temptresses, ready to introduce their audience to the long line of dangerous women. Millar and Byrne's portrayals of such figures are cleverly and amusingly combined with a range of songs, samplings and compositions that themselves demonstrate the femme fatale's history and the performers' extraordinary vocal abilities. Though an appropriate jazz aesthetic infuses the entire repertoire, it runs alongside tunes from the music hall, The Velvet Underground and Habanera from Bizet's Carmen, among others. - Graham Hansen (The West Australian February 2013)