Review: 1954 – Ella, Etta, Eartha, Fringe 2024

“1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha” is about the incredible Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Eartha Kitt. Since the year we pick their story up from is 1954 all these great pioneers have had to experience, and will continue to do so, racism, sexism and abuse.

It feels appropriate to attend the show and learn about all three women of colour in the same year as Kamala Harris’s attempts to save democracy in the United States.

I already knew I liked the music, but I needed to learn more about the singers’ histories. Ella Fitzgerald, in particular, struck me as someone I should read up on. She worked numbers for the mob, apparently.

My only gripe with the show is that I had a comfortable but awfully positioned seat. I could always hear Melissa Western’s fantastic singing voice, but I could only occasionally see her. Throughout the night, she’d step into view, looking amazing in a slightly modified costume, and continue impressing the audience.

Melissa Western and her band earned a standing ovation.

Tone

There’s plenty of defiance in “1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha”, and this feels appropriate. All three women had to defy circumstance, racism, financial hardship, misogyny and a legion of challenges.

But! There are oodles of hope and friendship. Melissa’s musical history lesson will make me level up my appreciation of Marilyn Monroe. 

I suspect you’ll also get good vibes from the audience. I’d joke that you’re unlikely to get a group of rowdy punks in for the set, but I’m a punk fan, too. Instead, I’ll suggest that no audience member will be here to challenge or disrupt. I queued with a diverse group of people who all seemed united by a mutual fondness for underappreciated music. 

What to expect

It’s only a 45-minute show, which means 15 minutes per musical hero, or about three songs each.

Three exceptional songs each, all iconic and, notably, Melissa Western does justice to them all. You wouldn’t come all the way from Australia to pay singing homage to Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Eartha Kitt if you weren’t confident in your singing skills. Melissa’s powerful voice is absolutely worthy of that confidence and the trip from down under.

As noted, you might not get a good view of all the band, but there is a big TV that’s used occasionally, and you’ll be able to see that. The audio quality is top-notch.

Expect an excellent introduction to all the singers if you don’t know them and a fantastic homage of you do. 

At the end of the day I spun up Spotify and put all three on. Ella Fitzgerald has 4.5 million monthly listeners so I may be paranoid when I suggest these three women don’t get the attention they deserve.

Overall

“1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha” does due justice to Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Eartha Kitt. The music is fantastic. The snippets into these impressive women’s histories and legacies are interesting, and our host oozes with charisma.

Okay, I had a rubbish seat and could barely see Melissa Western, but my ears worked, and that caramel voice was a delight.