Review: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK'S BIG BOO: ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2018 at Adelaide Festival Theatre

Reviewed by Pamela Watts, Monday 11th June 2018.

Lea DeLaria's performance, Orange is the New Black's Big Boo, for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival showcases both her vocal and comedic expertise. A famously big personality, her dynamic stage presence delivers a brand of comedy that's candidly blunt, provocative, political, and contemporary. Best-known for her appearance on Netflix's hit show Orange is the New Black, Lea DeLaria breaks out from her Big Boo role, in this spectacular blend of comedy and song.

With the accompaniment of the astonishingly talented pianist, Helen Sung, bassist, Endea Owens, and drummer, Sylvia Cuenca, the performance is a well structured evening of jazz, comedy, and songs, including songs from DeLaria's new album, House of David: delaria + bowie = jazz, an album of jazz versions of twelve classic David Bowie songs.

DeLaria synthesises numerous Bowie songs into jazz interpretations. She utilizes several vocal techniques to bring each song to life, including scatting, elongated phrasing, and swing. She also makes excellent use of harmony, rhythm, and melody. DeLaria made these Bowie's songs her own as she interpreted songs, such as Space Oddity and Fame.

In Lea DeLaria's description, "The songs are performed in the language of jazz, a variation on a theme, if you will. Some swing. Some are fusion. Some are gospel etc. The comedy, as always, is loud, wild and in your face. You can expect to laugh hard, tap your feet to the rhythm and hear a whole lotta queer stuff!"

This evening, indeed, gave us some very serious jazz that literally delighted the spirit. The comedy was very hard-hitting, as we have learnt to expect from Delaria, and the audience was challenged more than once to interact with this outspoken performer. This produces howls of laughter and some surprising situations. This was a memorable evening for this audience who will look forward, in anticipation, to seeing her perform again.

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