Photo – Andrew GoughOk – lets start with the good stuff. People who like a whinge – skip to the end!
Meow Meow is a wonderfully creative individual with a sharp eye and superb vocal talent. Her patter is often witty and amusing and for the most part well conceptualized. However it is the voice that is the gold mine here. Why sift the river for dust when there is a rich vein waiting to be mined. In short – I wanted her to sing more. Much more.
When she does let fly with her vocals it is interesting and moving, echoing powerhouses like Bassey and Piaf with a mischievous touch of Cilla thrown in. When she floats in Flippers it is a great theatrical moment. And the dialogue – while it could use an edit – is on the whole clever enough and occasionally quite poignant. I was touched by some moving ideas and amused by some acerbic barbs. There is some lovely staging and even the rocks have their moment! Sure it does get a little bogged down in its introversion about ¾ the way through, but still I left reasonably happy with the sticky residue drying on my skin – see the show, it’s not as dirty as it sounds!
However – there’s a few things that are key to being able to write a decent review. One is being able to actually see the show, the other is knowing who is in it. I didn’t really get either so I apologize now if you are looking for details. I can’t give them to you. No program available, and no cast or crew list to find either at the venue or the box office. Staff appeared genuinely puzzled as to why I might want one. Granted it is basically a one woman show, but as we all know there are a lot of other people paddling furiously behind the scenes to keep any show afloat and I would prefer to recognize them too. So – thank you invisible minions!
Plus there is great band and most notably a really good cameo appearance by some guy who is funny, cute and can sing the roof off the tent. He’s worth a Google so I did – and thank you Chris Ryan! Great work.
But reviewing a Spiegeltent evening really is reviewing the Hyde Park Festival experience so mention must be made of the whole evening.
The enclosure is better than last year I think. The bar is fun, the staff friendly, the food adequate, if uninspired – but why don’t Messina serve their fabulous Gelato instead of their nasty over-sweet tizzy frozen novelties. Big fail.
And here’s the kicker for those of you who scrolled down. At the risk of sounding a bit precious – if you invite someone to review a show, give them some information, and ensure they get a seat they can see from.
I’m never much of a fan of a queue, but Sydneysiders seem prepared to line up as if for an early Jetstar experience, scrabbling for a good spot. After finally finding a seat, an officious little boy in a quirky hat shoved extra people into our booth as the lights went down, making for an unpleasantly crowded experience where neither I or the woman next to me could see much of the show at all. Admittedly mine was a freebie – but if I was her, I would have been furious at being charged for a half a view and a sore neck. It just felt greedy, shoving in as many punters as possible to make a buck, regardless of their comfort or viewing experience. Not much ’magic’ in my uncomfortable Magic Mirror Spiegeltent experience.
Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Festival present
Meow Meow’s Little Mermaid
Meow Meow
Director Michael Kantor
Venue: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent | Meriton Festival Village, Hyde Park North (Licensed venue)
Dates: 6 – 23 January 2016
Tickets: Priority entry $79 | General Admission $69-62
Bookings: 1300 856 876 | sydneyfestival.org.au/meow
Part of the 2016 Sydney Festival
ALSO TOURING
Melbourne
Malthouse Theatre, Merlyn Theatre
28 Jan – 14 Feb 2016
Bookings: malthousetheatre.com.au
Perth
Perth International Arts Festival, Octagon Theatre UWA
24 – 28 Feb 2016
Bookings: perthfestival.com.au
