Madge gets back into the groove
Madonna (London Palladium)
Verdict: Intimate tour de force★★★★✩
MADONNA’S move to Lisbon three years ago was made in the interests of her teenage son David Banda, a promising footballer.
But it also energised the Material Girl artistically, and a musical rebirth ignited by last year’s Madame X album was recreated — with bells on — as she launched a London residency this week.
If Madonna can cut a remote figure at her arena shows, this framed her as a more engaging performer. Making light of the knee injury which led to the cancellation of her original opening night, she sang, danced, ventured into the aisles and chatted away, with all the panache of a trouper, emboldened by a directive prohibiting mobile phones in the Palladium.
‘I’m so happy to be in this intimate, gorgeous theatre,’ she said. She then apologised for the British accent she adopted during the Guy Ritchie years — ‘why did you let me do that to myself?!’ — and told how her move to Lisbon had initially left her lonely and isolated until she discovered the city’s heartwrenching fado music scene.
That discovery has, in turn, given her music a truly global perspective. Batuka was driven by a sparkling female choir and percussionists from Cape Verde. Come Alive, sung barefoot in a sari, was a Bollywood delight. A ‘fado club’ segment saw her gyrating atop a baby grand piano and singing a folk song with Lisbon guitarist Gaspar Varela.
There was the odd lull. Some interludes ran on too long, some sermons were clumsy. But the music, costumes and presentation were fabulous. The Madame X songs were the night’s obvious focus. But with room for Express Yourself, Vogue and a roofraising Like A Prayer, this was a triumphant and stylish return.
Madonna’s London Palladium residency continues until February 16 (ticketmaster.co.uk).