intouch Magazine
Jun 9, 2021
Updated: Jul 1, 2021
The busy national tour will take in 22 venues across New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia within just one month, and will be the show’s first ever Australian tour.
The brand new stage production, produced by Showtime Australia and starring Australia’s own Zac Coombs, debuted in New Zealand in May and received rave reviews.
NZ Herald’s Ilona Hanne wrote that, “Zac Coombs truly shone like a diamond… [his] voice was well matched to the musical challenges some of Diamond’s songs come with and he didn’t falter once,” while Stuff.co.nz reviewer Jimmy Ellingham said, “With twenty-five songs in just over two hours packed into a slick production, with great lighting effects and a superb backing band and singers, Diamond fans would be hard-pressed to pick fault.”
Zac Coombs is indeed the star of the show, expertly reviving Neil Diamond’s deep resounding voice, timeless tunes and charismatic storytelling live on stage, in this homage to Diamond and his legacy as one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters.
For Coombs, a long-time performer, multi-instrumentalist and a former music teacher from Paddington, the response so far to his performances has been “a little overwhelming, but also so gratifying to know all the hard work is paying off.”
Coombs who, at 35 years old, is considerably younger than his famous counterpart, undertook months of preparation in order to portray Diamond faithfully to his fans. Hours were spent studying videos of the singer-songwriter, learning his tics and traits and character, and a vocal coach worked with him to turn his higher-pitched ‘Aussie twang’ into a smooth, low-toned American baritone.
“I had to really immerse myself in everything Neil’s done and everything he is, in order to get to know him and be able to emulate that. I’ve grown up with Neil’s music and am a genuine fan of his songwriting, so it was actually really interesting to me to analyze him in such detail and get into his head, and I’m so pleased that the crowds are appreciating that so far,” says Coombs.
Supported by a seven-piece band packed with international talent, Coombs makes his way through an impressive list of Diamond’s biggest hits including crowd-favourite Sweet Caroline, Cherry Cherry, Red Red Wine, Crunchy Granola Suite, Cracklin’ Rosie, Forever in Blue Jeans, I Am… I Said, Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon, Shilo, Heartlight, I’m a Believer and many more.
Tickets for the Newcastle Civic Theatre performance are available now from the venue’s box office or their website civictheatrenewcastle.com.au , or more information about the show is available at facebook.com/thesweetcarolinetour
DATE: 13 September, 8pm
VENUE: Civic Theatre Newcastle
TICKETING: civictheatrenewcastle.com.au