Magnificent! Bravo! Formidable! A glorious homage to Edith Piaf and Jaques Brel.

Piaf and Brel: The Impossible Concert was a rich joyous celebration of two lives lived large and tragically cut short. An hour was simply not enough.

It was a privilege to experience the vitality and enthusiasm for vintage music multi-award winning, and operatically trained, Canadian chanteuse Melanie Gall has.

Gall is an irresistible tour de force, a compelling, powerful personality and presence on stage. She offered a stunning feast of French music, masterfully tying together the music and lives of two iconic French music giants.

Gall lovingly interspersed their unforgettable music with fascinating snippets of information, weaving in stories about what was going on for Piaf and Brel at the different stages of their lives.

I felt transported to the era and loved Gall’s haunting rendition of Piaf’s classic La Vie en Rose. Gall did a rousing version of Padam, Padam, inviting the audience to join in the rousing chorus of the irresistibly catchy song.

I found it a totally enjoyable and engaging show. The finale was fabulous with Gall inviting everyone to join in singing together from the song sheet she provided with Piaf’s stirring anthem Non, je ne regrette rien. C’est fantastique!

This show would suit sophisticated cultured audiences and Francophiles. I loved it and am looking forward to catching Gall’s other shows at Fringe before she moves on to Adelaide – Stitch in Time: A Knitting Cabaret and We’ll Meet Again: Vera Lynn, the Forces’ Sweetheart.