Sue Kelvin’s Bette Midler and Me returns to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year with fresh energy, having had previous runs in Edinburgh, London, and a nationwide tour. Presented by LAMBCO Productions, the show is performing throughout August at theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Annexe). Kelvin’s West End credits include Oliver, Les Misérables, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago and Wicked – all of which she thanks Bette Midler for in this colourful tribute.
More of a love letter than an impersonation, Kelvin is joined by co-host Billie Kerr as she recounts how Midler’s personal and political life influenced her own, spanning from her insecure childhood to her present-day career. Songs like ‘The Rose’, ‘Chapel of Love’ and ‘I’m a Woman’ are cleverly woven into the storytelling, paying homage to Midler’s upbeat comedic montages.
While the show has a continuous flow and a rather nostalgic mood, the snappy punchlines do not miss a beat. Through this structure, Bette Midler and Me does not just praise Midler’s life but celebrates her joie de vivre in a most fitting way. Kelvin and Kerr’s puppet parody of the 1988 movie Beaches is hilariously on-point, and the show perfectly captures Midler’s quoted phrase “when I’m on stage, it’s a party!”
Kelvin’s unbreaking magnetism within the intimate space allows audience members to feel as though she is speaking and singing to them specifically. Her honest and personal reflections on her life are genuinely inspiring, and she delivers every song with theatrical charm.
Co-host Billie Kerr’s connection to Bette Midler is not as explored as Kelvin’s, which is understandable given the name of the show. Nevertheless, Kerr’s angelic rendition of ‘From a Distance’ and their harmonies with Kelvin illustrate the diverse, intergenerational legacy of Bette Midler’s work. Kelvin and Kerr have a warm onstage relationship and they share great chemistry as a duo.
Whether you are a lifelong fan of Bette Midler or are familiar with a few of her songs, audiences are bound to leave Bette Midler and Me at least a little bit more obsessed with Bette, and quite a lot more obsessed with Sue Kelvin and Billie Kerr.
