Geraldine Quinn bounces on to the stage dressed in blue jeans and boots, and carrying a guitar. So much for a cabaret show, I thought. But it wasn't long before the blue jeans were off and as the performance progressed other layers were pogressively discarded.Quinn can belt out a song with the best, writes clever, witty and racey lyrics, and she can sure move her body! Loved the section where she taught her audience to dance a la pop! Fortunately none of us was dragged up on stage to follow her moves, one of which she described as squeezing a lemon with an unmentionable, except in a comedy gig, part of the female anatomy.
Quinn's show aims to demonstrate how to write an international, best selling pop song. Anyone who has teenagers or remembers being one will understand the importance of costume, the endless repetition of words like 'baby', and of course love, both lost and found, must feature. English, or course, should be thrown out the window - you just make up the words. Then there's the show boat note. Quinn tells us that Chistina Aguilera is able to hit E and hold the note. Quinn announces that she will do even better, by hitting and holding Fsharp for even longer. Whether Quinn succeeded or not was a moot point, as the small but enthusiastic audience were too busy applauding Quinn's efforts, just as she had encouraged us to do.
Quinn's encore was another highlight. In tribute to the prowess of Benny & Bjorn with their 1974 Eurovision hit Waterloo, Quinn delighted her small audience with her Australian Eurovision song, Gallipoli. The mind boggles at the thought of Gallipoli being entered, let alone winning!
Quinn has a strong stage presence and certainly deserved a far bigger crowd that she had on Sunday night. Pay your money and you won't feel cheated.
Shut Up and Sing
Geraldine Quinn
Venue: Trades Hall, The Evatt Room | Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Dates: 25 March - 18 April, 2010
Times: Tue - Sat 9.30pm, Sun 8.30pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Prices: Full $20, Concession $16, Tightarse Tuesday $15
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 660 013 | at the door
Visit: www.geraldinequinn.com