Cabaret & Variety 

Words: Clare Roberts 
Image: Karla Gowlett

5 stars 

Jess Robinson, the Queen of Impressions, is hilarious, sparkly, and can sing Judy Garland under the table. Her show is not just for Elton John fans. Even the most casual fan of his will enjoy her comedy music show. 

In a sparkly top and bright tutu, Robinson jokes about the frequent advice from her grandma, an accomplished pianist, which included the rule of dressing classy for gigs. She tells us all about the numerous divas who live in her head, from Liza Minnelli to Billie Eilish to even Dido, who made a brief appearance. We were treated to her performance of Elton John numbers, each in the style of one of these different divas. She can master an accent, a vibrato and a vocal fry and the result is extremely impressive 

One key way her show differs from a tribute act – besides the impressions – is her skill of creating new versions of the songs, often tweaking melody, length or vocals to create a warm-hearted, enjoyable set that had us all boogieying in our seats. 

The night brimmed with her comedic flair, but she really showed her chops as both an impressionist and vocalist in a three-way number as Katherine Jenkins, Julie Andrews, and Ariana Grande. 

The audience interaction is light, restricted to individual moments with a few people near the front. Robinson also gave the room a choice on which song we would do next. We cheered for our favourite, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise for you. 

Jess Robinson: Elton Reimagined 
Piccolo Tent at Assembly George Square Gardens 
19:15 
5 – 30 (not 17) Aug