Petula Clark Concert Review: Live at the Club Regent Casino

Petula Clark showed a capacity Winnipeg audience at the Club Regent Casino what made her the most successful female solo recording artist of all time in the U.K. The multi-talented British superstar bedazzled fans with an engaging 1 ½ hour performance that included material culled from a recording and acting career that has spanned over 5 decades.

Throughout the male dominated 60's British Invasion, few female British singers gained stardom. Of the select handful that did manage to emerge - Petula Clark reigned supreme. A prolific and talented actress, she added Hollywood and Broadway success to her chart topping international recording career, and went on to sell more than 70 million records worldwide.

The gifted chanteuse brought her formidable talents to bear during her Wednesday (09/02) Club Regent performance. Along with her enviable back catalogue of hits (many self-penned) such as Downtown, I Know a Place, and My Love, the British superstar also drew on material from her successful Hollywood and Broadway career, including material from Finian's Rainbow and Andrew Lloyd Weber's Sunset Boulevard.

Solidly backed by her adept 9 piece backing group, the Ron Paley Band, the bi-lingual Ms. Clark showed off her cultural diversity, performing La Vie En Rose by iconic French songbird Edith Piaf as well as a bi-lingual version of her own international smash hit This Is My Song much to the delight of francophones in the audience.

The charismatic singer has a wry sense of humour and shared many entertaining stories about the creation of some of her best loved hits as well as anecdotes about legendary figures with whom she shared friendships over the years such as Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Sophia Loren and the Beatles. During a solo outing at the piano, tongue planted firmly in cheek, she prologued an intriguing ballad rendition of McCartney-Lennon's I Wanna Hold Your Hand with the explanation that her long-time friend Sir Paul needed the performance royalties to help replenish the millions he'd lost after his recent divorce.

Of course, the fans primarily came to hear the hits, and Petula Clark did not disappoint. She performed a formidable cross section from her prolific career, including Don't Sleep in the Subway, I Couldn't Live Without Your Love, and Colour My World, often adding subtle variations or perform the songs in medleys to add fresh twists to old standards.

A consummate professional, Petula Clark's passion for her art shone through every aspect of the performance, and her energy was infectious. She kept the capacity audience enthralled from start to finish with a well paced show, finally winding the night home with the one-two punch of her 1964 international No 1 hit Downtown and the 1966 classic I Couldn't Live Without Your Love.

In closing the night, the singer expressed her difficulty in saying good-bye to her audiences, and wrapped the night with an original song that she composed to do the job for her. Judging from the ovation, Ms. Clark's sentiment was heartily reciprocated by the Winnipeg fans.