You can feel the Jazz Ellington transform into the beautiful, intimate jazz bar it was born to be as soon as the lights go down. The atmosphere is ready for entertainment to grace the stage and this evening it comes in the form of a songstress with a flower adorning her hair.
Rosie Rai is immediately charming, witty and warm, clearly an experienced performer she banters with the audience and plays by ear her set list. During the show she invites the audience to use their phone to send through requests and the occasional audience member onto the stage to duet with her. She assures us that she “doesn’t mind if you sing, in fact she insists upon it”. The performance is unpolished but in the way that it is like a gemstone from the earth. “Mr Bright Side” is duetted by Rosie and an audience member as an opener and is met with rapturous applause.
The sultry mood lighting continues to illuminate our accomplished pianist as she scrolls though her phone, reviewing a whole bunch of requests from the audience. This is part of what makes this performance special, the audience got to craft the show with her.
The performer has a beautiful alto voice but she is also happy to switch to falsetto if the request so calls for it. Next comes a rendition of Brittany Spears’s “Toxic” which gives her a chance to showcase her humour with a coy smile. The improvisation in this performance is absolutely part of the charm and this is a show where you will have a fantastic time singing along. Among the songs performed heard Sam Smith, Amy Winehouse, Fleetwood Mac and we even heard “Mary had a little lamb” thrown into Dolly Parton’s Jolene. This performer has certainly honed her craft as a talented pianist and singer.
An audience member unassumingly joined Rosie onstage to sing a sweet rendition of “I can’t take my eyes off of you” and this is the magic of live performances, we got to share in a special moment that was made when that song was performed.
Rosie wrapped up the show keeping the crowd in the palm of her hand and she was met with a standing ovation. I hope that in years to come we will see a lot more of this talented performer.