Gimme! A Cabaret About Want

You never know what you might see from one week to the next at the charming South Melbourne Cabaret venue – The Butterfly Club. On this occasion I was treated to the flawless vocals and understated humour of Louise Kelly.

Louise developed the idea for the show after attending a Stephen Schwartz concert, where the great man himself spoke of “want” songs in Musical Theatre. Of course there are plenty to be found! If a Cabaret performer choses to present just themselves and their own musings instead of as a character, it can seem a trifle self-indulgent if the performer isn’t totally engaging in both song and story.  Louise is a performer of such a high calibre that this was not an issue at all. Her Bio indicates her extensive performance experience and so you would expect that her vocal and acting ability would be of a high standard, which they both were. Not every performer is capable of pulling of this kind of presentation and being genuinely funny though, and Louise certainly packed her sense of humour, along with her Fisherman’s Friends, Gaffa Tape and framed picture of Yul Brynner for the trip down from Sydney. (That will make sense later!)

I was surprised when I walked in to see Microphones on stands. I’ve seen many shows at the club but none have used Microphones. However considering that Louise was going to be performing the show twice in three hours, it was probably a necessity for voice preservation.  Although it did mean that movement was limited, they did also prove to be an ingenious comic tool in the later part of the show.

Louise’s vocal control was absolutely flawless from start to finish, with transitions from chest to mixed to head unrecognizable to the undiscerning ear. Her knowledge of her instrument is impressive. Her tone was pleasant and expressive. She had an endearing quality to her performance, and one of the highlights for me was the song “Flight” by Craig Carnelia. She sang quite a few little known songs but this one was a revelation, her performance of this song was stunning and so engaging. Highlights also included “Lion Tamer” from Schwartz’s Magic Show, a Mash up Of “Something’s Coming” from Westside Story and “I Can See It” from Schmidt and Jones’ The Fantasticks (inspired!), and “Electricity” from Billy Elliot. I enjoyed the duo with Kat Talbot “The Grass is Always Greener” from Woman of the Year (or as some of you may know it, And the World Goes ‘Round) but I didn’t really see a point to it. I also found that I didn’t enjoy “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as much as other songs, perhaps because Louise didn’t seem to be as strongly connected to it as to other pieces.

Louise’s gags were extensive and quite entertaining. From spitting out her Fisherman’s Friend before singing, her fetish for Bald Men, breastfeeding jokes, sticking a gaffa tape eyebrow as a substitute for not being able to raise one independently from the other, in the hope that it would ensure “more acting opportunities”...  The delivery was low key, as if she was just saying this stuff over coffee with a friend, and it was spot on.  She has a natural humour about her which added sparkle to her presentation. Her rendition of Defying Gravity, playing not just Elphaba and Glinda (with separate microphone for each) but all of the chorus as well was a definite comic highlight!

Louise was accompanied by Andrew Howie who played the score beautifully and was a great support. Hopefully this makes up for the fact that he apparently snores... Next time book a hotel with thicker walls!
My biggest criticism is that the show’s season was over as quickly as it began! If she brings the show back to Melbourne don’t miss it, the performance of “Flight” alone would justify the ticket price. Congratulations on an excellent and enjoyable performance!

Reviewed By Melissa Trickey

After too many years of coaching and performing in that weird Calisthenics thing, Melissa discovered musicals when she saw her first production of Les Mis and has never looked back! She has been lucky enough to play such roles as “Dorothy Brock” in 42nd Street, “Fluffy” in Honk!, “Sharpay Evans” in High School Musical, “Lo-Lo” in the Merry Widow and “Frenchie” in Cabaret. Melissa has been featured in Concerts, Choreographed and Directed for a variety of Melbourne companies. Some highlights include a Lyrebird Nomination for the first show she choreographed, winning a Lyrebird for a Concert Performance, and two successful seasons of her one-woman show “Happiness 101: Laughter is the Best Pseudo-Science” at the Butterfly Club this year. Melissa was also the Musical Theatre Editor of Theatre People for over two years.