"Should not be missed under threat of torture"

"Pedi is utterly charming, engaging and even sexy. She makes one vacillate between wanting her to perform at your anniversary party to wanting her as a best friend to wanting to initiate an ill-advised affair with her."

Zane Henry, editor ARGUS TONIGHT Cape Town SA

 

"Rarely have I seen a one-woman show exhibiting such exhilarating theatrical dimensions...Watching her on stage is like hearing a spirit medium channelling different disembodied entities, judging by the volume and diversity of voices of famous personalities that emerge from her mouth.She oozes personality and has an easy rapport with her audience..."Great Dames” is an uplifting show, full of spirit and song ... Pedi perhaps best sums up her kind of show with a story about a member of the audience who once said of an interpretation: “You did everything about her that I hate”.

Peter Feldman: The Sunday Independant - Johanessburg, South Africa

“Christine shows off her Pedi-gree and puts the "broad" back into Broadway.   As an actress she's believable, as a vocalist she's a diva, and as a comedienne she's hilarious.”

Perceptive, witty, self-deprecating, and a voice that's equally suited to classic musicals, Vegas-style variety shows or modern pop-rock, Pedi is mesmerising. The overall show was a Master Class in Aesthetics experience for me. Educational, cultured, amusing, classy, and very satisfying - all in one. Two actually: pianist Mathew Ward was also truly a pleasure to watch and hear. 

Tellitlikeitis.co.za

 

 

"Love pours forth from every pour of GREAT DAMES.

The woman has such a natural, unforced demeanour about her that one can actually just sit and relax and take in her  magisterial interpretations instead of feeling compelled to be impressed by the artist on shear reputation and pedigree alone.

This is absolutely one of the very best, if not the best, of these kinds of cabaret shows I have ever seen.  It is a loving, intuitive and soulful tribute to the kinds of entertainers, the ladies from yesteryear who seemingly had wit and shutzpah in unlimited reserve, we just don't seem to have any more in the mainstream entertainment world."

 Peter Tromp:The Next 48 Hours-Cape Town, South Africa

 

“You’ll feel the strain in your cheek as you drive home - can you remember the last time you smiled for two straight hours?”

“Pedi’s presence and warmth on stage is mesmerising - her comfort in being in front of a live audience and doing her shtick is infectious and flows into the audience dynamic like a smooth bath tonic in water of just the right temperature. In collaboration with Matthew Ward, Pedi realises a production which hits the mark every time, creating something fresh and delightful, based on the simple premise of a piano and a mic on stage. This is a top-notch show!”

 Robyn Sassen:Artslink.co.za - South Africa

 

Christine Pedi's elastic features and instinctive comic timing never seem to let up. It is, quite simply, a joy to listen to her and her spin on these familiar tunes.

FRINGE REPORT REVIEW - LONDON

"This is cabaret with fun & finesse"

BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE - LONDON

 

"….. If you are feeling down...Christine will cheer you up with her tonic of a show. She's a real Pedi-cure!

CLASSICAL SOURCE-LONDON

 I can't imagine any cabaret lover not having an absolutely wonderful time so long as Christine Pedi has a microphone in her hand. ...what makes it work so beautifully is the range of artistry she shows as a song interpreter when the masks are lowered and it's just Christine Pedi up there. It's not the first cabaret show where she's sung "as herself," but her latest stint shows she's truly coming into her own in matters of showing maturity, vulnerability and sex appeal."

-Michael Dale - Broadwayworld.com

"Christine Pedi's Great Dames at The Metropolitan Room was nothing but moments - every one a winner. If you missed it, you'll have to wait until fall to see her again unless she bows to pressure and provides an encore engagement. A veteran of Forbidden Broadway who recently co-starred in the revival of Talk Radio, Pedi is a deceptively versatile performer who's equal parts great actress and diva vocalist. Watch for her return soon!

-Next Magazine - David Hurst

Christine Pedi is one of New York's favorite performers, an accomplished singer and satirist who has appeared repeatedly in Forbidden Broadway. .... Pedi shifts gears as smoothly as a limo driver, from Garland to Merman to Katie Hepburn; from a saccharine- sweet When You're Good to Mama, to a chillingly vengeful warning to Henry Higgins, Just You Wait.

In fact, Pedi's comedic bent, theatric overstatement, and talent for impersonation make it all too easy to overlook her vocal abilities as Christine Pedi. When she's not taking over another personality, she has her own warm and pleasing voice, on display here during a straightforward tribute to her mother, Mama a Rainbow. Pedi will probably never give up the comedy, but should she ever want to do a conventional show, she's got the pipes to do it.

-Cabaret Scenes - Peter Leavy

Pedi's creative cocktail, the "classic martini" recipe of 2/3 satire and 1/3 sympatico, serves her subjects well: Merman, Minnelli, Streisand, Liza, Julie Andrews are rendered with love, but not lather. Dazzling and deft as her mimicry and comic timing are, the off-guard catching moments of tenderness and longing conveyed by Pedi's personal renderings of "Funny Girl" and "The Boy Next Door" catch her in quintessence; hair down, star on the rise.

-Paul Cavalcone-CD 101.9