Dusty Springfield concert comes to Mandurah

July 24, 2012, 10:01 a.m.

Monique Montez and Demi Hines are coming to Mandurah with their show The Very Best of Dusty Springfield - Live in Concert.

ACCORDING to Monique Montez, co-star of the Very Best of Dusty Springfield – Live in Concert, coming to Mandurah in August, audiences can expect to be taken for a trip down memory lane.

Monique who plays Dusty Springfield in the show, takes the stage with singer Deni Hines and performs over 24 of the pop diva’s most popular songs, including Son of a Preacher Man, I Only Want To Be With You and I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, to name just a few.

Monique said many audience members are surprised when they realise the range of Dusty’s songs and that so many popular tracks of the 60s were songs of hers.

Despite the music being from around 40 years ago, Monique said that the range of people coming to see the show included children right through to grandparents.

In fact, one of her favourite memories of the tour so far was a Mothers Day concert in Bendigo with a nine-year-old girl dancing along to the tunes with her grandmother.

The show celebrates the era of the music with fabulous costumes, knee-high boots, big hair, false eyelashes and lots of glamour.

Monique and Deni are accompanied by an eight-piece band and back-up singers to recreate the feel.

Audiences “step out of reality for a brief time” while they enjoy the music and costumes said Monique.

The show is uplifting and usually ends with the whole audience dancing to the show-stopping song that the singers save for last.

Monique auditioned in 2006 for the musical Dusty: The Original Pop Diva where she played five major roles, which was a huge success.

Director of the show Stuart Mauder said, “The moment I saw you [Monique Montez], I knew we had to have you in the show.”

So when the opportunity arose to reunite with her co-star Deni Hines for a concert version of the musical and to tour nationally, Monique jumped at the chance.

Although Deni has received some bad press in recent times, Monique said she enjoyed working with the talented star and that they had always gotten along well.

Monique described her as “a ball of fire” who was “perfect in her own element” and a fantastic singer.

Taking the show to regional centres such as Mandurah was another highlight for Monique as she grew up in a rural area herself and knows how limited good entertainment can be in areas outside of the capital cities.