Casey Donovan raises the roof on the Festival Theatre with her powerhouse voice and larger-than-life personality
Presented by: Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 19th June 2026
Casey Donovan has been touring Australia with her This Is Me tour, but Adelaide audiences were treated to a special edition of this concert for the Cabaret Festival. Titled The Amy Winehouse Special, Casey’s show was a combination of her journey from Australian Idol to now and the love and connection she has for Amy Winehouse’s music.
Casey is a magnetic performer, and the audience packing out the Festival Theatre were extremely vocal in their support. Casey opened the show with Rehab by Amy Winehouse, and the entire evening was a blend of songs that shaped Casey’s career and personal journey, and songs by Amy Winehouse, often with Casey’s personal twist. We heard songs such as What’s Going On from her Australian Idol winner’s album, Better To Love, Proud, One More Dance, and Listen With Your Heart (The Australian Idol Winner’s Single). The second act featured a selection from Casey’s musical theatre career. The Adelaide theatre crowd well and truly showed their appreciation for When You’re Good To Mama, a medley of songs from Flower Children and the titular song from Sister Act.
Through the entire performance Casey demonstrates time and again why she has a reputation as a vocal powerhouse. The strength and control in her voice through a wide range of genres is remarkable. Her belt is powerful and flawless, but she also shows a goosebump-inducing tenderness in ballads and quieter moments. Her achingly beautiful arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, accompanied by her pianist, added an extra layer to the already meaningful song.
When talking about her personal life and career, Casey speaks to the audience like an old friend, with blunt truth-telling and irreverent humour. The highs and lows of her career and relationships are shared with no apologies, yet with a humility that always acknowledges where she started. This manner only endears her to the audience even more.
Sprinkled between the songs and stories of Casey’s life were some of Amy Winehouse’s most iconic songs: Rehab, Love Is A Losing Game, Back to Black, Me and Mr. Jones, and Valerie, to name a few. Casey’s voice, while paying tribute to Amy Winehouse’s unforgettable tone, truly makes the songs her own in the best way. Her voice is superb in these songs. However, there was little to tie these songs to the narrative of the rest of the show, and the first half in particular seemed a little disjointed in the way it shifted from one song to the next. Perhaps it was because this show is billed as part of the Cabaret Festival, and I was expecting more story relating to the Winehouse songs. If thought of as a ‘concert’, and not a ‘cabaret show’, you can accept the mixture of songs without question.
Casey ended the show with a glorious rendition of This Is Me from The Greatest Showman, which perfectly celebrated her journey and where she is now. She was supported by an exceptional band of keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and two backup vocalists. Their music was tight and well-balanced, and they flowed between musical styles with ease.
Casey performed in Adelaide for one night only, but there are plenty more performances interstate for her ‘This Is Me’ tour. It’s always worth a trip to the theatre to see this Australian legend perform.
Reviewed b: Kristin Stefanoff
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 19th June 2026 (1 performance only)
Duration: 2hrs 10 min (inc 20min interval)
