Review: BACKSEAT DIAMOND Is The Hilarious Result Of What Happens When Backup Singers Go Bad

Friday 22nd September 2017, 8pm, Knox Street Bar

BACKSEAT DIAMOND brings Megan Kozak's fabulously funny example of what happens when support singers get sinister to Sydney Fringe. Presented with heart and humour, this romantic mystery cabaret concert will have you dancing in your seat, cheering for the underdog and turning a blind eye sabotage.

As the audience settles in to the intimate basement space of Knox Street Bar's little theatre they quickly learn that the headline act is missing its lead singer and second backup singer, leaving the wide eyed Mary (Megan Kozak) and pianist Mark Chamberlain to figure out what to do. Whilst, at first, it appears that Mary is soldiering on and unwillingly stepping up to the missing Eva's microphone, Mary soon reveals her own aspirations to fame which have been put on hold while she stood 3 feet from fame as the backup singer for "Eva Dane and the Diamonds". With a solid Motown sound but a whiter than white complexion, the young Mary never made it on her own in LA leading to a story reminiscent of 20 FEET FROM STARDOM if Darlene Love and her fellow backup singers were white and had the inclination towards illegal elimination of the competition.

The well-crafted hour long show uses clever wordplay of lines from famous pop songs to illustrate the story which is filled with bold renditions of songs made famous by Aretha Franklin, John Farnham, Shannon Noll and many more. Kozak realises the Motown sound with soul and passion and amusingly overplayed choreography inkeeping with Mary's history as a backup singer. Mary's unhinged nature becomes clearer through the night as the sweet faced psychopath's expressions take on a maniacal sinister undertone as the boppy blonde tries to convince her accompanist to continue playing whilst the velvet voice with a vendetta figures out what to do.

Chris Wilcox's doorbitch/security guard character "Chris", adds to the absurdity of the show, from threatening to inform the authorities of what Mary has done to Eva and Donna, to falling in love in the time it takes to finish the show but he also represents those failed artists that have opted for jobs that pay the bills over the uncertainty of a career as an artist. Like Mary, Chris has always been 3 feet from stardom as a security guard for the rock stars he once aspired to being. Wilcocks presents the security guard as somewhat of a stereotype hired gorilla but softens when Mary encourages him to take his moment in the spotlight, leading to some sappy saccharine moments combined with a poignant rendition of What About Me?

A great night out filled with wonderful renditions of well-known songs and a bizarre, hilarious premise BACKSEAT DIAMOND is the perfect way to unwind and escape the seriousness of the world for an hour. Whilst BACKSEAT DIAMOND's Sydney Fringe season has finished, hopefully Kozak will bring the show back for a longer run.

To post a comment, you must register and login.