Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Thursday 21st June 2018
"Let them eat cake", the famous last words that are recognised universally as a metaphor for extravagant excess and heartless self-absorption. In the premiere of her latest show,
Cake, Adelaide's own,
Johanna Allen, takes the audience on a riotous ride through a series of excessive indulgences, each one more delightfully sickening than the last and delivered to a timeless soundtrack of cult classic and pop song medleys.
(Although attributed to Marie Antoinette, there is no actual evidence that she ever said "Let them eat cake", and the line, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", was only quoted as having been said by "a great princess", in book six of Confessions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's autobiography, written when Marie Antoinette was only nine years of age. But, let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story. Ed.)
Written, as well as performed by Allen, Cake demonstrates, in seven deadly sins style, the excesses of gluttony, covetousness, and lust. She explores the delicious evils of alcohol and drugs, as well as the bottomless pit of social media addiction. With tongue firmly in cheek, Allen mirrors back to us our narcissistic, 'me first' society in an era of 'selfies' and Tinder, where we can judge, and be judged, simply by swiping left or right.
Sporting a Marie Antoinette style wig, complete with feathers, Allen alternately prances, lounges, dances, primps, and rages across the stage, clad in 1980s style gold lamé excess. Allen is an extremely talented performer with a truly beautiful and extraordinarily versatile voice. In Cake she delivers an energetic performance which never misses a note or a nuance, flipping effortlessly between genres, accents, characters and emotions.
Allen has put together an impressive playlist for this show, segueing neatly from one song and excess to the next, with wonderful interpretations and arrangements of songs such as
Food, Glorious Food from Oliver,
Desire by U2,
Let's Do It by
Cole Porter,
Confide in Me by
Kylie Minogue, and
Money, Money, Money by ABBA to name just a few. She also uses song lyrics as spoken word, cleverly delivering illuminating interpretations and nuance in a fresh context for the audience.
Allen is marvellously supported on stage by a talented and hardworking four-piece band featuring Mark Simeon Ferguson, on piano (also musical director for the show), Julian Ferrarretto, on violin, Alana Dawes, on double bass, and Jarrad Payne, on drums. The show was tightly directed by Vince Fusco, and lighting and production design were by Tom Kitney.
Although delivered with enormous generosity and humour, the question Allen is ultimately asking is "How many likes on Facebook will make you feel full?". How much is enough? How much is too much, and what then? Cake is a show that deserves to be seen and enjoyed widely, if for nothing more than the sinfully, guilty pleasure of listening to
Johanna Allen sing.
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