JOSEPH... DREAMCOAT

 

HEDY WEISS – THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES

 

But it is Bianco, a tiny woman with boundless energy and, in addition to everything else, great comic chops, who easily steals the show as, with whiplash speed (especially in a grand finale), she uncannily conjures the voices, personalities and body language of Britney Spears, Cher, Bette Midler, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey and many others. Astonishing. And it all fits perfectly with Lloyd Webber's score, with Ryan Park's icon-perfect costumes and Claire Moores' wigs. Bianco's work alone would be worth the price of admission.

 

JESSE BOND - SPLASH MAGAZINE

 

Christina Bianco is nothing short of spectacular as The Narrator, dazzling the audience in the encore with an even more extensive catalogues of impressions, fired off at increasingly rapid speeds and all sung to tunes from the show. Frankly, I would watch an entire 90-minute production of just Bianco singing songs from Joseph in different styles.

 

COLIN DOUGLAS - CHICAGO THEATRE REVIEW

 

Alan Souza has a resplendent star in the leading role of the Narrator. Diminutive Christina Bianco, a veteran of YouTube videos and countless incarnations of New York’s “Forbidden Broadway,” bursts with talent. This little lady has a magnificent instrument of her own; but she’s also capable of impersonating the style of dozens of other celebrity vocalists.

 

 

FUNNY GIRL

 

LAURA CAPPELLE – THE NEW YORK TIMES

 

While the American born Bianco has appeared in Off-Broadway and West End productions, she is better known for her uncanny impressions of other singers - not exactly the standard path to stardom. It's Broadways loss - because much like Streisand, Bianco pours irresistible life into the role. 

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Bianco is arguably much too lovely to be the subject of one of the musical's early (and most dated) songs, "If a Girl Isn't Pretty." But she embodies the plucky energy of the character, inspired by the real-life entertainer Fanny Brice, an unconventional comedian who found success in the 1930s and 1940s.

 

While Bianco can be seen mimicking Streisand on her YouTube channel, in Paris she is her own performer, warm and effervescent, with a clear, full-bodied voice. Her first rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade," at the end of Act I, is pure exhilaration made song, down to her little hop of excitement as she belts out, "Get ready for me, love, 'cause I'm a comer!"

 

 

MARK LUDMON – BRITISH THEATRE

 

With her own pitch-perfect comic and vocal abilities, Bianco has the star quality to explain Fanny's stellar appeal. From raising laughs one minute, she shifts the tone to bring out all the emotional power and meaning of hit songs "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade" as well as less familiar ones such as "The Music That Makes Me Dance" - a show-stopping, intimate contrast to the overall spectacle of the production.

 

 

PATRICK HORNE – BROADWAYWORLD

 

… a leading lady entirely worthy of Streisand, fitting into the part of Fanny like a glove and doing justice vocally and emotionally to the show's biggest songs in a way no one else has done since Barbra.

An accomplished actress, as well as singer and dancer, Christina really makes the part her own … and she nails every song, notably the haunting "The Music That Makes Me Dance," resulting in a well-deserved nightly standing ovation.

 

 

WEST END WILMA

 

Actor and musical impressionist (with over 25 million video views on YouTube) Christina Bianco honestly shines as Fanny Brice and looks like she is having the time of her life on stage. Christina has enjoyed huge success as a cabaret artist but here she proves she is a versatile actress, mixing comedy with heartbreaking emotion and makes me wonder why she hasn't been cast in leading musical theatre roles before now.

 

 

ARIANE BAVELIER - LE FIGARO (Translation)

 

Christina Bianco is burning the boards!

Christina Bianco also possesses the energy and humor of the character of Fanny Brice, a role that fits her like a glove. She can easily compare with Barbra Streisand, the creator of the role. And at the time of the salutes, the whole room rises like one man to give him a standing ovation.

 

 

APPLICATION PENDING

 

NEIL GENZLINGER - NEW YORK TIMES

 

Christina Bianco has become relatively well known as an impressionist through stage work and YouTube videos, so the myriad voices she deploys in the one-woman comedy "Application Pending" might not be surprising. But the speed with which she switches among them as she portrays dozens of characters is remarkable. Must we trot out the phrase "tour de force"? Yes, we must... Ms. Bianco's work is something to see.

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DIANA SNYDER - TIME OUT NEW YORK

 

Application Pending isn't a musical, but Christina Bianco is something akin to a one-woman orchestra. In Greg Edwards and Andy Sandberg's deliciously twisted solo vehicle, the multi-voiced wonder and Forbidden Broadway vet morphs into 43 personalities, creating a symphony of hilariously harmonious voices.

.Bianco's main character, the sympathetic Christine Evans, is the beleaguered new director of pre-primary admissions at an exclusive Manhattan prep school. On her first day on the job, she endures a barrage of insane and inane phone calls from entitled parents, annoying colleagues and other oddballs. Under Sandberg's direction, Bianco plays them all with gusto, switching personages with rapid-fire precision and vocal and physical adjustments.

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HAYLEY LEVITT - THEATRE MANIA

 

Best known for her renditions of popular songs featuring rapid-fire character changes, Bianco translates her shape-shifting talents to what is essentially a 75-minute monologue — an exhausting exercise that she seems to tackle effortlessly.

Bianco makes the play her own, seizing it for the vehicle that it is for her own unique brand of performance.

 

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 

FIONA SCOTT – BROADWAYWORLD

 

Bianco is a wonderfully slick host, with a sweet and charming manner. ...

There is a constant thread of "firsts" and being yourself in her spiel between songs as she superbly and deftly steers us through the evening.

Queen of the cabaret, Bianco has her audience in stitches and awe as she juggles somewhere around 60 impressions. 

 

 

BEN DALI – BROADWAYBABY

 

With First Impressions, Christina Bianco further cements her reputation as the First Lady of Impersonation. This is a rollercoaster of blistering talent from start to finish, and it’s no wonder this lady goes viral time and time again. From the moment Bianco steps out on stage, the audience know they’re in for a real treat.

... Songs and impressions are mostly universally recognizable and always chosen perfectly for maximum fun and to show off her staggeringly powerful and versatile voice.

 

 

EVE LIVINGSTON – FEST MAG

 

Bianco is an effortless performer, as accomplished a technical singer as she is an impressionist. She races through impression after impression, each immediately recognizable and without a dud amongst them, which is no mean feat when you consider their breadth – Jennifer Aniston becomes Barbra Streisand, transforming into Edith Piaf and even, when you least expect it, TOWIE’s Amy Childs.

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ME, MYSELF, AND EVERYONE ELSE

 

STEPHAN FOENANDER - ADELADIE ARTS REVIEW

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Ms Bianco can be described with just one word… Dynamite!

Christina the self described “’short person’ conducts her performance at a frenetic pace and the author wonders how she kept it up non stop for nearly 80 minutes.

Christina Bianco’s talent, albeit in a 4’11” container, is bigger than the World Trade Centre. It is obvious that she is in demand all over the world. Her own voice is beautiful on the ears and Christina is gorgeous from her head down to her toes. The impressions are fantastic and it is not often that you get to see female vocal impersonations because they are so hard to do.

I am overwhelmed by the sheer talent displayed by Christina Bianco and I am not ashamed to say that she made the author and audience fall in love with her charm and amazing show. Christina Bianco is my number one best pick of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2018.

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GEORGINA SMERD – GLAM ADEALAIDE

 

Pint-sized New Yorker and singing powerhouse, Christina Bianco, is in town to present her rib-achingly hilarious Me, Myself and Everyone Else – a show definitely not to be missed!

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Amongst the many diva personalities battling for the spotlight is Bianco’s own refreshingly down-to-earth and friendly, yet still larger-than-life, character. Like any cabaret star worth their salt, her personality is still one of the highlights of the show (though it definitely is competing with many others) as her energy and enthusiasm, as well as her mind-blowing vocals, fill every corner of the theatre..

 

 

O COME ALL YE DIVAS

 

JADE KOPS – BROADWAY WORLD

 

Vocal powerhouse Christina Bianco brings her brilliant talent for impersonating female performers back to Sydney...

…Whilst O Come All Ye Divas only ran for a short season, hopefully Christina Bianco will return to Sydney soon. As well as being incredibly talented she also has a warm and engaging stage presence with a delightful playfulness, making the cabaret audience comfortable and eating out of her hand.

 

 

DOM O’HANLON – LONDON THEATRE

 

In her new solo show playing this Christmas at the Charing Cross Theatre she keeps the audience thoroughly entertained with her affable patter and quirky charm that makes for a riotous evening of laughter and music that’s the perfect seasonal treat.

 

A consummate performer in her own right Bianco draws her own natural voice to the fore and allows herself to take centre stage with a couple of jovial Christmas hits and a powerful Smash mash-up that ends the first act. Each delivered with zestful power and tonal perfection she is endearing and warming to watch. A Christmas firecracker of an entertainer, Bianco provides the ideal tonic to get you in the holiday mood. 

 

Impressionist shows are difficult to get right and often the material can seen thin and unsubstantiated. Bianco has crafted an appropriately silly and joyously festive evening that blends stand-up humour, music and her own original take on classic seasonal songs each channeling a wide range of voices in her repertoire.

 

 

ELLIE DEVONSHIRE – WEST END WILMA

 

If you haven’t seen her performances, you should know that Christina is “every woman”…that’s right, she’s a diva impressionist! A very good diva impressionist…

..Something endearing about Christina’s performance is that you can actually see just how sweet a person she is and therefore this gives such a warm performance and atmosphere in the Charing Cross theatre.

...While Christina Bianco is a great impressionist, she’s also a brilliant vocalist herself.