Rainee Blake’s Joni Mitchell: Take Me As I Am is a one-woman show transporting audiences to California in 1976, following Joni Mitchell’s life after travelling across America and before the release of Hejira. Tales of adventures with Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, alongside the story of the daughter Mitchell gave up for adoption, create a layered portrait of the legendary singer.
Blake’s costume is understated — a simple black linen dress, paired with jewellery reminiscent of 1970s style. Performing barefoot, the performer moves naturally around the stage creating an intimate atmosphere. This minimalism extends to the set, which contains little beyond her instruments and a small table with a dated tablecloth. Low, warm lighting and a light mist drifting across the stage are simple but effective in transporting the audience.
Blake demonstrates impressive control over the instruments on stage, shifting between acoustic and electric guitar and, most impressively, the Appalachian dulcimer. Her performances of ‘A Case of You’ and ‘California’ on the dulcimer are particularly effective, while ‘Cactus Tree’ and ‘River’ are standouts.
The invitation for the audience to sing along to the chorus of ‘Both Sides Now’ is pleasant in theory, but less successful in practice. Incorrect lyrics became distracting, while some audience members took the invitation as permission to continue singing throughout the rest of the show.
Blake’s accent could also use some refinement. At times, her natural Australian accent creeps through, and a couple of breaks in character interrupt the flow of the performance. These moments are relatively minor, but in a show so dependent on creating the illusion of stepping into Mitchell’s world, they are noticeable.
Still, the performance was undeniably moving. At several points, audience members could be seen closing their eyes to absorb the music or wiping tears from their faces. As Emma Thompson famously puts it in Love Actually: “It was Joni Mitchell that taught your cold-hearted British wife how to feel.”
Take Me As I Am is a testament to that power and a reminder of the place Mitchell’s music holds in my own life.
Joni Mitchell Take Me As I Am is running until 30 August at Assembly George Square Studios. Buy tickets here.
Image provided to The Student by Assembly for press use.
