REVIEW: Jens Radda's Fabulously Fun Camp Cabaret SKANK SINATRA Has Opened At The Butterfly Club

Monday 29th May 2023, 7pm, Butterfly Club Melbourne

SKANK SINATRA is Jens Radda’s latest queer cabaret creation, blending their personal story with a compilation of ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ well known standards.  Premiering at The Butterfly Club, this new work is a masterclass in contemporary drag cabaret.

Skank Sinatra is told through Jens Radda’s alter ego, a fabulous bottle blonde Drag Queen.  For the performance Jens dons a stunning red pant suit that shows off her svelte figure with the look finished off with towering platform stilettos.  The stage is simply adorned with a keyboard and a side table for her martini ‘water’ glass, props and vase of stunning roses from her partner who is regularly referenced through the show. 

With a combination of physical humour and insightful observations, Jens shares her story, from her childhood as a young migrant family landed in Queensland to deciding as a ‘young twink’ that they saw their future elsewhere. The work is naturally Melbourne centric, with amusing observations of her experiences in Sydney fuelling the divide between the two major capitals which was interesting viewing as BroadwayWorld Sydney’s Senior Editor on remote assignment.  The stories are enhanced by Jens’ interpretations of some of the songs that Frank Sinatra is famous for singing.  With her rich voice, which has the benefit of the deep range, Jens reworks the lyrics of works like George and Ira Gershwin’s You Can’t Take That Away From Me and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Theme from New York, New York.  Jens’ history as a WAAPA Musical Theatre graduate shows as little references to musicals are scattered throughout her patter with a final showtune thrown in for good measure.

Throughout the performance, Jens connects with the audience, both with eye contact and ensuring that her renditions of songs have a meaning for the audience and are not simply just a singer performing their favourite songs.  Unlike may performers who want to classify their performances as cabaret, Jens ensures that any audience interaction is done with a purpose and not just ‘ticking a box’ of common characteristics of the genre.  She utilises a variety of performance styles from patter, spoken work storytelling, improvisation and pure poignant songs like her rendition of Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern’s The Way You Look Tonight which she performs with her own keyboard accompaniment. 

For anyone who appreciates either a well-crafted cabaret, is a fan of Sinatra’s songs, enjoys a well told story, or loves a well turned out Queen, SKANK SINATRA is a must see piece of escapist theatre.

Writer/performer Jens Radda / Director Olivia Charalambous 

Dates Mon 29 May - Sat 3 May, 7pm

Venue The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Pl (off Lt Collins), Melbourne 

Tickets $30-37 https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/skank-sinatra