The
McCallum Theatre Presented:
Hayley Westenra
_______________________________________
Review
- The Desert Sun - 12th February 2002
Palm Desert, California
Performance - 9th February, 2002
Teen
measures up to comparisons
By
Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun
February 12th, 2002
Hayley
Westenra, the 14-year-old singing
sensation from Christchurch, New
Zealand, received a standing ovation
from a capacity crowd at the McCallum
Theatre Saturday. So did her parents.
Whether the ovation was for the variety
show the audience had just seen or whether
it was a sign of appreciation for Westenra’s
talent is a matter of opinion. I think
it was an indication of how much the
audience appreciated seeing young people
apply their gifts to material they love,
instead of the teen fare of Britney
Spears that is attracting more attention
from young people.
That was the message that came across
from the format of the evening. The concert
was billed as the American concert debut
of this teen phenom who just signed with
the prestigious London Decca label of
classical vocal legends such as Luciano
Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. But
Hayley didn’t appear on stage until
after intermission. The first half featured
a 15-year-old New Zealand violinist,
a guitarist who is Hayley’s agent,
and a part-time Palm Springs resident
who began his career in New Zealand and
is now a touring baritone.
The violinist, Ben Morrison, almost
stole the show when he returned in the
second act, generating a spontaneous
standing ovation for his deft technique.
But the buzz in the lobby at intermission
was over why the first act opened and
closed with the baritone, Max Jarman, who
returned in the second act with Hayley
and Hayley’s younger sister and
brother.
But Hayley was a breath of fresh
air when she finally appeared. She’s
a regular kid, which is part of her appeal.
She just happens to have a sweet voice
with great tone and range.
Promoters have called her “the
next Charlotte Church,” and
the resemblance to the Welsh teen was
apparent after Hayley’s second
number, “Pie Jesu” from Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s “Requiem,” which
Church covered well on her “Voice
Of An Angel” CD.
Even the short length of her program
got compared to Church. McCallum publicist Judi
Pofsky said Church never sings more
than 30 minutes.
After hearing Hayley sing such fare
as “I
Dreamed A Dream,” “Bright
Eyes” and “Wishing You Were
Here Somehow” from the ever-popular “Phantom
of the Opera,”
I’d say Hayley compares favorably
to Church. She seems to have greater
range, although Church’s voice
may be richer in some areas.
Hayley doesn’t have the diction
or power of trained singers in the opera
showcases sponsored by organizations
such as the PS Opera Guild and the Annenberg
Theater, but that also may be part of
her appeal. Audiences always enjoy seeing
gifts from God more than products of
a system or technology. It’s like
when Tony Bennett turns off his
mic and projects a capella. He gets applause
because people sense they’re hearing
raw talent.
Hayley’s 11-year-old sister, Sophie, actually
seemed more theatrical, more in the moment,
during her solo turn on “Thank
You, Stars.” Hayley has The Voice,
as she showed on Webber’s “Memory,” but
she missed a chance to be more theatrical
as a youth tackling an old-timer’s
song.
Hayley’s encore of “You’ll
Never Walk Alone” from
“Carousel,” which Barbra
Streisand sang so passionately on
a recent Sept. 11 benefit on TV, also
showed Hayley needs to work mostly on
interpretation.
There’s no doubt that Hayley has
a great natural voice. Let’s just
hope she finds a coach who can give her
the confidence to give full reign to
her inner voice.
