What do you think of stage shows? Should they be kept simple to emphasise a song, or is there anything wrong with a kickass dance routine or novel staging?
Both approaches can work. Just look at the contrast between, say, Lordi and Salvador Sobral. If you are going down the bells-and-whistles route, a darker theme to your staging can work too. A song of angst lends itself well to something gothic. So thought today’s birthday girl, Ester Peony (née Ester Alexandra Crețu), when she represented Romania at Eurovision 2019.
Romania had a strong tradition of making the Grand Final when they competed, and until not so long ago this was assured. That came to an end after some, erm, unpleasantness, but optimism continued. Fast forward to 2019, though, and it was a different story. Ester missed out on the Grand Final in a cut-throat semi-final, even though she got a sprinkling of maxima. It was close, but at least she got a nice comfy chair to sing from.
Ester is 29 today.
La mulți ani, Ester!
