Category: Review

Music, Review, Whats On

CHANGES: A Theatrical Tribute to the Music of David Bowie

It’s all about the music

By Sally McKenzie

David Bowie was a theatrical performer, so it makes sense for Kendall-Jane Rundell and her team at Bare Naked Theatre to deliver the music of Bowie in a theatrical format. They promised  ‘a personal, raw account of storytelling through contemporary and physical theatre’, but unfortunately I felt that the ‘storytelling’ aspect fell short in many aspects. The music, however, particularly the magnificent accompaniment by Robot Child, was pure Bowie indulgence in every way.

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Musically, this show was quite an ambitious project, as it included roughly 35 Bowie songs, no dialogue. I was in music heaven. Songs included Bowie’s better-known hits such as the title song ‘Changes’, ‘ Space Oddity’, ‘Life on Mars’, ‘Let’s Dance’, ‘China Girl’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Starman’,  ‘Under Pressure’ , ‘Rebel Rebel’ and ‘Golden Years’.  Some of his more rare gems such as ‘Oh You Pretty Things’, ‘Where Are They Now’ and ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ also played an important part in this musical tribute. With the absence of a conductor, the band executed every song with confidence and flair. The transitions between songs was mostly smooth with only the occasional brief pause while musicians changed instruments or to allow for dramatic pauses on stage.

Robot Child with guest musician Matt Arter (guitar, sax, harmonica) has one of the finest line-ups of musicians I have seen. The arrangements were very close to the original Bowie tunes. The sounds produced on the keyboards of Owen James and David Hartney were great replicas of those included on Bowie’s albums, and the piano solos played by James in ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘Oh You Pretty Things’ were a highlight. Waleed Aly is indeed a virtuoso on the electric guitar. His solos were a feature of the night as they soared through the venue.

Together Dan Slater (drumkit) and Daniel Lijnders (bass guitar) provided a rock solid foundation for the band, executing every riff and rhythm with absolute accuracy and a great understanding of the vast collection of Bowie’s ‘substyles’ of alternative rock. I also particularly enjoyed the backing vocals provided by Hartney and Arter. Those added harmonies and the conviction and passion by these musicians were a huge asset to the show.

The main vocalists of the night were Jeff Wortman (who was also the music director and the regular lead vocalist of Robot Child) and Rundell (director). Wortman’s vocals were impressive. I was amazed by his vocal stamina as he sang in almost every song – and with 7 or 8 shows remaining, has a huge job ahead of him. Rundell was the other lead vocalist, and although her voice suited the range and androgyny of some of the Bowie songs,  she unfortunately did not have the vocal flexibility or security required. Her intonation wasn’t always accurate and I felt her voice lacked the power and impact required to match the energy and professionalism of the band.

With no program, director’s or musical director’s notes and no biographies of cast for the show, I wondered initially: what was the original concept for Changes? What was the purpose?  I waited for the actors on stage to tell me a story but struggled to connect to any of the themes. The six other performers in the cast portrayed the ‘fans’, ‘party-goers’, ‘drug-takers’ etc. in Bowie’s life, and attempted to provide a more abstract account of Bowie’s songs and lyrics with physical movement – some choreographed, some not.  Costumes by Jessica Allie were simple and neutral, and make up was ‘Bowie-esque’, but the performers seemed to lack an overall sense of purpose and commitment. Jacqui Essing was the stand-out in this hard-working but under-utilised ensemble. She looked completely comfortable on stage and was the most confident with her movement.

Lighting and sound was fabulous. A wall of light rigged behind the band shone into the audience as if to represent the ‘outer space’ theme in the relevant parts of the show. Large hanging spot lights were scattered and clearly visible over the largely open stage, giving the sense of Hollywood or TV studio. Handling such a big sound in a high-ceiling venue is a huge challenge, and LSS Studios triumphed again. The band was mixed perfectly and the overall sound was at ‘Rock Concert’ level, which was much needed. At times though, it was difficult to hear the words of the vocalists. Bowie’s lyrics are often abstract and difficult to understand, however, so this wasn’t a major deterrent.

Admittedly, this is not the cohesive, meaningful or enlightened dramatic performance the publicity suggested, but I was truly impressed by the hundreds of hours put in to rehearsing and performing such an epic collection of songs, and if you are a Bowie fan, you will revel in the sound of this show.

Changes: A Theatrical Tribute is at Gasworks Arts Park until the 6th August. Book at http://www.gasworks.org.au/event/changes/ or barenakedtheatre@gmail.com

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Amanda Muggleton in THE BOOK CLUB

Thoroughly entertaining

By Myron My

A book club: where everyone has great intentions to read the book but, for some reason, never seems to have the time. Either that, or the meeting itself turns out to be an opportunity to talk about everything – but the novel. In The Book Club, middle-class suburban housewife Deb Martin seems to have found the perfect literary social group, but a few indiscretions and a blurring of fact and fiction begin to create some interesting moments for Deb.

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Amanda Muggleton is completely at ease with the demands of this production which, in her case, is portraying every single character – male and female – and relying on nothing but her spectacular facial expressions, body language and voice for differentiation. Her comedy timing and physicality is spot on and while she plays these characters as “big”, Muggleton still manages to retain an honesty and authenticity to them all. 

The story, originally written by Roger Hall and revised here by Rodney Fisher, is entertaining and fun for the most part. There are times when I felt the momentum slows a little and certain events occur merely as a device for making Deb feel even more low and ashamed of what she is doing. It’s as if the script wants to push Deb so far that we have no choice but to sympathise with her, rather than trust that the audience will like her despite her actions.

However, Muggleton’s impressive performance and Nadia Tass‘ playful direction, playing out in Deborah’s book-filled living room as designed by Shaun Gurton, greatly assist in getting the audience through the lags and in quickly building towards the numerous climaxes throughout the show – both literally and figuratively speaking. The times when Deb goes out to the audience or acknowledges a reaction from the spectators adroitly strengthen the relationship between us and the character, and allows for a deeper sense of empathy to be shared.

While it’s true what Deb says about finding happiness in a good book, you can also find it in a good show. The Book Club is an enjoyable 90 minutes of laughs that can boast a story that is well-grounded yet enticingly dramatic and scandalous, and a dynamic and engaging performance by Amanda Muggleton.

Venue: Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season: Until 14 August | Tues – Sat 7.00pm, Sat 3pm, Sun 5pm
 Tickets From: $70.45 Full | $65.35 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Theatre Company

Image by Casey Wong

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Zoey Dawson’s CONVICTION

Unsettling and outstanding

By Leeor Adar

Welcome to the prolonged anxiety attack.

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We were submerged into a seemingly soothing world of sound design maverick, James Paul. Distant shores ebbed and flowed into the subconscious and conscious workings of playwright Zoey Dawson. Inane, witty and self-indulgent thoughts grabbed us and made us laugh, and sometimes think a little too hard about ourselves. But that was Dawson’s point. Our own private narrative is both universal and compelling, and Dawson understands this, even if it ticks some theatre-goers off.

Declan Greene’s assured direction makes its masterful entrance as our actors form a tableau from a bygone era. The stream of consciousness that we found ourselves immersed in earlier is being spoken by our now shifting tableau. It’s a gorgeous beginning, and I feel safe in this space, which will become a central feature of what the Dawson/Greene team are going to undo.

And undo it they will.

Conviction goes House on the Prairie to Lord of the Flies in a descent one does not see coming. With every unhappy scene, it is reworked again, and again, just as its playwright tears the pages of their work away. You can almost feel the playwright’s desperation as historical inconsistencies litter the work, until our convict-cum-lady, Lillian (Ruby Hughes), is smoking out of a crack pipe and unravelling both out of character and out of era. The playwright has clearly become bored with the ‘great play’ and returns to a reality more familiar.

The cast is excellent – but it is our leading ladies who really stand out. Hughes dominates in her performance as the ‘survivor’ in a world of her own making, and Caroline Lee’s timing as a performer is effortless. Greene has directed his cast with style – transitioning them with ease from one dimension to the next. It’s a testament to this creative team’s skill that as an audience we take this wild and weird journey with them.

The only concern for this work is its exclusivity. Dawson may find it difficult to reimagine this work in another city. The references to Melbourne and the very specific Melbourne condition are hard to unravel. Dawson’s story resonated with me, but I wonder, outside of the theatre-loving privilege, how will outsiders connect? Dawson has taken on a mouthful in Conviction, but she still artfully weaves historical and feminist inconsistencies into her work in a way that is charming, jarring and familiar.  She reconfigures the past, as our stock white colonialists ask a passing native Australian to tell her story. The world stops for a moment, blacked out and blank, as this story was not Dawson’s to tell. Dawson reminds us that we write stories about our own experiences because they are authentic. It’s also a brazen up-yours to our great nation’s denial of a stolen history. But this is Dawson’s experience, and she manages to intersect her private narrative with a greater narrative about our fear of not being enough, and unworthy of telling our tale.

This isn’t a story about convicts – as I expect you’ve gathered by now. It’s a story about convicting ourselves to a life of self-doubt and anxiety for failing to have the conviction to tell our story.

You can join the stream of consciousness from the 27 July to the 6 August, Wednesday – Sunday at 7:30pm, Northcote Town Hall.

Bookings: Conviction Ticketing

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

Peter Rugg’s BIG GAY ADVENTURE!

Get sparkly!

By Joana Simmons

For his debut full length cabaret; Peter Rugg brings us Peter Rugg’s Big Gay Adventure!, the camp tale of a narcissistic millennial who lifts the lid on what it’s like to be gay today. Peter is brave and Rugg-edly uncovered in this Caba-gay filled with pop and musical theatre songs, educational anedcotes and one sparkly blazer.

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As a kid, Peter dreamed of having the wedding with the isle and the doves and the man of his dreams. He points out that he didn’t have very many gay couples as role models and when he woke up in the adult world, realised that amongst the tanned hairless twinks on Grindr, finding this happy-every-after might be harder than he thought. Especially living in a country where marriage still isn’t legal. Cheeky one-liners and smug segues between stories and songs navigate us through tribes and groups of ‘types’ of gay, dating, anonymous hook-ups, judgement, body image and discrimination. Some of the more meaty topics he touched on lightly, though I would have loved for him to authentically bare all truths about them- sexual health, role-model couples and what it’s like being in the closet, rather than spending more time talking about Grindr and things which are stereotypical for a young gay man.

For a first full-length show, this content and topic is no walk in the park, and Peter tackled it with gusto though structurally the issues could be developed more to really hit home. He’s interesting, and I wanted him to go deeper (excuse the innuendo, after seeing this show I see it in everything!)

Rainer on the piano sweetly accompanies him and must also be mentioned for his speaking role and assistance with putting Peter back on his train of throught. The adaptations on pop and musical theatre songs express his wants, views and struggles. Highlights were his rendition of Estelle’s “American Boy” and the heartfelt song for all the men in the closet, and these made up for moments in other songs where notes were pitchy and storytelling and ideas were lost. Applause followed every number and his energy carried through. His interaction with the crowd was relaxed and conversational; he was able to work the crowd well although some of the time he spoke directly to his friends, and it felt like the two of them having a chat over brunch that the rest of us weren’t invited to. The final few numbers were standouts and made up for all the flaws previously mentioned: his honesty about how it felt when he held hands with a boy in public for the first time, and the fear of discrimination, and what his wedding would be like had me fixated. Finishing with a fabulous upbeat number left us loving him all the way to his curtsey.

This caba-gay is an onstage celebration of all things camp. It’s not easy doing a solo cabaret: you are baring a part of your soul in an entertaining way. It’s probably even harder when it’s a part of your soul not everyone in this country agrees with. So for that, and more, support Peter Rugg and his Big Gay Adventure because what he has to say is important and the talent is definitely there. He’s a looker too: you can’t help but get lost in his GAY-ze.

Show Details: Peter Rugg’s Big Gay Adventure!

Dates: July 20-24

Time: 7pm

Cost: $25-32

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com

Comedy, Review, Whats On

Joshua Ladgrove in NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA NEAL PORTENZA. TRACEY.

Incessantly and enthrallingly funny

By Myron My

What’s in a name? It certainly doesn’t matter in Joshua Ladgrove’s Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza Neal Portenza. Tracey, but it is a clear indication of the type of show this is. It is 60 minutes of comedy that will have you snorting with laughter, squirming in your seat and wondering what goes on inside Neal Portenza’s – and Ladgrove’s – head, all at the same time. 

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As with his previous shows, this is a combination of scripted absurdist comedy with many opportunities for improvisation and off-the-cuff humour, with much of this born from Ladgrove’s interactions with his audience. A running joke on the night I attended was based around two people working in the medical profession and Ladgrove attempting to explain things in medical terms so that they would understand.

It’s the type of show that the more the audience feeds him, the bigger and crazier the show will get, such as the woman who very happily volunteered to lick sauce off Ladgrove’s chest and a male audience member nonchalantly removing his t-shirt because he was asked to. However, Ladgrove is aware of boundaries and there is never a moment where anyone who puts their hand up is made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, as his skill at reading the room is highly accurate.

While this is a one-man show, Ladgrove’s tech Nathan is just as involved in Neal Portenza et al, telling him what to do and also what not to do, and injecting moments into the show that seem to genuinely surprise Ladgrove and delight the audiences. It’s a great, collaborative relationship the two seem to share and adds another element of surprise as to what the audience can expect. 

There’s no story or over-arching theme in this type of comedy. To even attempt it would be a disservice to Ladgrove and the work he is trying to create: because, for a moment in time, you were in a room, watching Neal Portenza doing things and saying things that are so utterly ridiculous that you cannot help but laugh. A lot.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Sunday 24 July | 8.30pm 
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc 
Bookings: The Butterfly Club 

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

Melbourne 2016 Season of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL

Joyous celebration of women, wit, love, and life

By Narelle Wood

Four sassy women take to the stage, set in the midst of a department store lingerie sale, to lament, laugh and learn about all things menopause. Menopause the Musical – Women on Fire sees a revitalised production of the hit show return to Melbourne with new choreography, some new songs, and plenty of new laughs.

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Caroline Gillmer, Donna Lee, Megan Shapcott and Jackie Love play these four very different characters (business woman, housewife, hippy and soap star respectively) that bond over the sisterhood experience – the midlife change. Over the course of the day in their Myer-style department store (although the set is more Victoria Secret) they shop lingerie, spa-date, lunch-date and shoop shoop their way through everything from hot flushes, sex and needing to go to the bathroom.

Shapcott and Love are great but Gillmer and Lee just seem to revel in all the awkwardness and candidness that their glorious characters demand. The depiction of Lee as a housewife doesn’t quite capture the complexity of the character she brings to life; it was captivating and joyful but in a uncomfortable and desperate kind of way – hard to describe but definitely fantastic.

The musical elements is reliant on parodies of some well-known classics from the 60’s, 70’s and the occasional 80’s. There are some standout reworkings including The Great Pretender to Sane and Normal Girls (The Beach Boys’ California Girls). One of my favourites was the poignant reimagining of Sonny and Cher’s I’ve Got You Babe, exploring the complex and close relationships between mothers and daughters. For the most part the parodies work providing witty and honest commentary that has the audience guffawing loudly. However a couple of the songs, mostly at the start, sounded like they were forcing the rhymes and rhythms to create the songs they were after.

Even though it is directed and choreographed by the acclaimed Tony Bartuccio, there were moments where it seemed as though all the elements, incredible in their own right, hadn’t quite come together. This made the performance for me a little uneven; some instances that were polished and right on point and others that were good but appeared to lack cohesiveness as though it was indeed a new production still finding its feet.

Menopause the Musical may not appear to be everybody’s cup of tea, but first glances can be deceiving. It makes for both a good night out and an educational experience, and one that is sure to leave a smile on your face.

Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, Melbourne

Season: Until August 6th. Tues 7pm, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, matinees Wed 1pm & Sat 2pm

Tickets: $59.90  (+ booking fees)

Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Owl and Cat Theatre Presents FLASH by Francis Grin

Powerful and disturbing

By Leeor Adar

You will flinch in Flash.

You will be unnerved, and that’s what Dutch playwright, and London-hailing Francis Grin, wants you to feel.

This play has come a long way from across the sea, but its resonance with youth shedding the skin of its innocence too soon resounds at a universal level.

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The hours on the clock eerily inch back in time as we watch a group of teenagers initiate a naïve Laura (Casey Bohan) into their unflinching and remorseless world of non-consensual sex. Each tries to outdo the other in the ‘I don’t give a fuck’ stakes, and everyone loses in this soulless game.

Does it sound familiar?

Grin grew up within the affluent and private community of Sao Paulo, which fuelled both claustrophobia and feelings of invincibility in its resident youth. Although the play makes limited references to this world to its detriment, the sense of security one expects in the affluent family home does not extend to the minds of the youth who exact a cruel assault on their peers.

Carrie (Ruby Duncan), a veteran of the sticky fingers of entitled boyhood in the likes of Christian (Dominic Weintraub), carries a graceful numbness of the ‘cool girl’. The flicker of her evocative gaze betrays her empty accusations of what has been done to her as it pins its perpetrator on the move to his next victim. The strength of Duncan’s quiet performance drives the play, and this is beautifully juxtaposed with the spirited and sinister charm of Weintraub. The actors are incredibly competent. Quite frankly there was not a moment in which I felt that I was in a theatre. I felt deeply uncomfortable, and not just by the disturbing descent into understanding the events of these youth’s evening, but by the naturalistic performances that rendered the audience as voyeurs.

While director Carl Whiteside has piloted assured performances from most of his actors, there is a striking disconnect between the action of that night and the sequences between young Christian and what we are left to believe is an older, subconscious Christian (Brett Fairbairn). Unfortunately, the writing alienates and confuses audiences in these sequences, and the direction does little to navigate audiences to its depths.

Sonja Mounsey’s set design switches between the innocent bedroom of a teenage girl to the red paper-cup-strewn outdoor dining table where much of the emotional and physical violence is inflicted on its characters. The banality of the outdoor-area drinking session and the innocence of the bedroom covered with homework perfectly showcases how familiar places can become the perfect stage for trauma. And that is the nature of assault. It’s not always happening down the dark alleyway, but in the backyards of our neighbours and friends, and in the bedrooms where we rest our heads.

This is certainly a challenging work presented by the Owl & Cat Theatre, but the power of its message will have its audience thinking about it for some time after they leave the theatre.

You can catch Flash from 8pm Tuesday 12th to Friday 15th of July at the Owl & Cat Theatre, 34 Swan St, Cremorne.

https://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=192744

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

Stage Art Presents TITANIC: THE MUSICAL

Exhilarating

By Myron My

It has been over 100 years since the Titanic sank, killing more than half its passengers and crew. While this famous tragedy is a well-documented and discussed event, Stage Art‘s production of the Australian premiere of  Titanic: The Musical breathes new life into the story, creating a gloriously entertaining show that should not be missed.

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The cast of 20 is flawless and all the actors take on their numerous roles with much gusto, achieving character changes effortlessly and at times, instantly. The production is meticulously directed by James Cutler, and from the opening scene, the hustle and bustle and the excitement felt from everyone on board is perfectly encapsulated as the latter is replicated in the audience.

Some stand-out performances included Jon Sebastian as the pompous J. Bruce Ismay, Casey Withoos as the second-class passenger with aspirations of first-class grandeur Alice Beane, Sam Bennett as love-struck third-class passenger Jim Farrell, and Dom Winsor, reprising the role he first played over a decade ago in the US production, as the ship’s designer Thomas Andrews.

Peter Stone‘s story and book develops elegantly and organically: even with such a large number of characters, every single person has a clear and distinctive story arc or motivation. Whether it be through a song or a short scene to tell their story, they all felt fleshed out, whereupon the emotions felt and reactions experienced upon the sinking of the ship are rendered even more heartbreaking to witness. The characters in Titanic the Musical were based on those actually on board the ship, and while a little creative licensing occurs, Stone’s careful research is evident and pays off marvelously.

The music and lyrics by Maury Yeston are wonderfully brought to life by the highly talented band and singers under the proficient musical direction of Kent Ross. The ensemble pieces, especially the epic opening number, are a dream to listen to and you cannot take your eyes of the accompanying action happening on stage. Greta Sherriff and Matthew Hyde perfectly complement each other with their voices, and their song “I Give You My Hand” is a tender and touching moment. Adam Di Martino and James Brown‘s dynamic ragtime number “Doing the Latest Rag” is also a firm favourite.

Titanic: The Musical is a gripping and entertaining story that reaches far beyond the familiar historical narrative we thought we knew. Already halfway through 2016, it is fair to say that this will emphatically be one of the best musicals, if not one of the best shows, of the year.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran 
 Season: 24 July | 7:30pm Wed- Sun, 1.30pm Sat and Sun (17 July 1.30 performance will be AUSLAN interpreted)
Tickets: A Reserve: $69 Full / $65 Concession | B Reserve $59 Full / $55 Concession | C Reserve $49
Bookings: Chapel Off Chapel

Image by Belinda Strodder

Review, Theatre, Whats On

SOL III Presents DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS

Intense and intriguing family drama

By Myron My

Written in 1924 by Eugene O’Neill, Desire Under the Elms is a story that explores profound human connections and the depths that people will go to have what they desire. Inspired by the myth of Phaedra, Hippolytus and Theseus, O’Neill’s story is set in New England where patriarch Ephraim (Darren Mort) returns to his home with new wife, Abbie (Diana Brumen). This does not bode well for the relationships with his three sons (Garikai Jani, Timothy Smith and Sam Lavery) as the tension builds to a devastating end.

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Lavery perfectly encapsulates youngest son Eben’s resentment towards his father and the rage that burns inside him, yet at the same time brings to the surface the tenderness and love that he can also feel. His scenes with Brumen are gripping and you’re never quite sure which way their story is going to go, even if it is based on a Greek tragedy. Brumen’s manipulative and scheming Abbie is convincing, but it is during her horrific and tragic final scenes that she is able to channel fully everything Abbie has been experiencing until that moment.

Director and founder of The Sol III Company, Andrei Schiller-Chan, does a brilliant job in portraying these characters’ emotions and thoughts beyond the words of the play, in particular the scene where Ephraim reminiscences about his past loneliness to Abbie. Having Ephraim off to the side, we are drawn into Abbie and Eben’s private, silent conversation from Abbie’s bedroom to Eben standing downstairs in the kitchen. The fight scene between the father and son is also powerfully executed and choreographed.

While at times the story does seem to slow down significantly in pace, with a sense of repetition in the scenes being played out, the cohesiveness of the technical and design elements continue to keep us intrigued. Production designer Hahna Read‘s set, despite the limitations of the physical space on the stage, has a firm feeling of authenticity and the waft of bread baking throughout the space further added to that.

Travis MacFarlene‘s elegant lighting design is used effectively to convey the emotions and thoughts of the characters while subtly supporting the mood of the play. Similarly, Paul Raine‘s sound design is evocative and adds adroitly to the environment of the farmhouse in which the story is situated.

Desire Under the Elms is a tale about ancient and basic human emotions; love and jealousy. It’s about growing up, letting go – and also, revenge. Similar to their production last year of The Exonerated, The Sol III Company excel in exploring these universal but complex themes and have created another thoughtful and captivating performance in Desire Under the Elms.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran 
 Season: 24 July | 8pm Tues- Sun, 2pm Sat 16 & 23 July, 5pm Sun 17, 3pm Sun 24
Tickets: $38 Full | $33 Conc | $28.50 under 25
Bookings: Chapel Off Chapel

Image by Timothy Smith

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

Gillian Cosgriff in THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS

Catch her before she wows Edinburgh…

By Joana Simmons

Award-winning musical comedian (Winner Best Cabaret Melbourne Fringe 2013, Winner Green Room Awards Original Songs 2013) Gillian Cosgriff is a musical and vocal powerhouse with comedic charisma and charm to boot. In her show, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, we hear her personal stories of how she is good at making to-do lists but better at procrastinating, good at being a mate but awesome at calling them after a wine or nine, and many other rollicking relatable truths.

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“This is why we can’t have nice things” is an adage recited by mothers across the globe to children who have damaged said nice thing. After an energetic opening number, Cosgriff explains how this is the title of her show because it is something she frequently finds she is telling herself: for when she buys an expensive lipstick and it spills in her bag, or meets a nice guy and calls him at 3am to ‘hang out.’ Through her dulcet tones and clever lyrics, she delights the audience with all kinds of anecdotes that prove why this saying applies to her.

Cosgriff is clearly a seasoned performer. She is relaxed and enjoying herself and the audience is completely on board. It’s hard not to be, since her musical ability hits all the right notes and vocal riffs have the audience whooping and applauding after every number and one liner.  The humour hits home as equally as the heart. Gosgriff’s honesty and open self-reflection is touching, and her song to her 16 year-old self is beautiful.

Structurally, Cosgriff’s command of the stage with her storytelling and variety of musical numbers works. One part with voice-overs went a bit long, but other than that, the intimate journey that is this show is the perfect amount of theatrical and accessible. The lighting is simple and subtle, except for one stage where they started flashing which was unsettling but that could have been the intention.

There’s four performances left of this show before Gillian Cosgriff takes off to debut it at Edinburgh Fringe. Go and see it, because she is going to hit that festival out of the park. Go and see it because it is humour with heart and hashtag nostalgia. Go and see it because, whilst Cosgriff thinks she can’t have nice things, she definitely deserves all the great things that her incredible talent will bring.

Gillian Cosgriff: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Venue: The Butterfly Club

Dates: July 5-10

Time: 8:30pm

Tickets: www.thebutterflyclub.com