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Edinburgh Fringe: Camille O’Sullivan: Chameleon

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Twenty-five minutes before Camille O’Sullivan was due to come on stage, the queue for her show stretched to the end of George Street and round on to Hanover Street.

Over the last six years, the Irish cabaret star has made a name for herself as one of the must-see acts at the Fringe. I first encountered her last year and was blown away partly by the excellent choice of music, including Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Jacques Brel and Bob Dylan, but mainly because of the way she inhabits those songs, her fine voice complemented by perhaps even finer acting skills.

Camille’s voice is a gift. Her genius is in creating an act that wraps that gift in a little bit of magic.

Arriving shrouded and mysterious in a long black veil, she knows exactly the moment to let the hood casually, almost accidentally, fall back to expose her fine features.

It’s an elegant, almost beautiful opening. For those who don’t know Camille, it nicely sets up the joyful madness that’s to come.

Soon, she’s taking great delight in awkwardly pulling her leggings off over her high heels, hopping about on one leg while addressing the audience. The next few numbers are performed in a sexy red dress, the last few in an old-fashioned negligee.

It’s a busy stage, with Camille, the band, various boxes and props, a lit-up rabbit, a swing and a tweeting bird in a cage all of which get pressed into service at some point during the show.

Her five-piece backing group are as at ease dealing out smoky subtlety as they are the big-band style numbers. She performs a barn-storming version of Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, and is wonderfully childish and coquettish in an hilarious delivery of Tom Waits’ God’s Away on Business.

The highlight of her performance for me is a powerful a cappella rendition of Brel’s Amsterdam, with Camille, barefoot and bathed in red light, rocking and swaying as if on a ship at sea as she recounts the lusty exploits of the sailors on shore.

The sad numbers are tempered by silly numbers, the hushed numbers by the raucous ones. Her show is the sum of more than its parts and its parts are very good indeed.

This year, Camille doesn’t get down among the audience the fourth wall is at least partially present this time. Seeing something amazing for the second time is never quite as enthralling as the first, but I think newcomers to Camille will be as pleased with this year’s show as I was with last year’s.

Photos by Hayley Rene and Paulo Jorge Magalhaes.Camille O’Sullivan: Chameleon is at Assembly @ George Street at 10.25pm until August 30 (not August 17 and 24).