CABARET
Presented by Sharon Burgess Productions
The West Australian Spiegeltent, The Pleasure Garden
Review by Jen Perry
Frisky and Mannish are starting a riot. Or rather, a CabaRIOT – and you’re invited. Cabariots, or acts of defiance against the status quo, are at the heart of this gold-star performance by world-celebrated British comedy cabaret double act. Decidedly more politically edgy than their previous Fringe World shows, performers Laura Corcoran and Matthew Floyd Jones return to Perth in 2016 to round on things that enrage them – doing it all with panache, cheek and heavy-on make-up.
Frisky and Mannish are effervescent in their stage presence. Calling out injustice through mash-ups of popular songs, they tie in the quest for women’s rights with the search for the perfect women’s anthem, with Frisky belting out everything from Meghan Trainor’s “All about the Bass” to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”. Mannish meanwhile shoots every one of her suggestions down, rightly pointing out the problematic aspects of each hit.
Across the breadth of their show their satire hit home for the WA crowds – but no more so than in their defence of those who oppose marriage equality. The pair evidently shine when they find that balance between “common sense” and risqué political commentary.
The show is also lightly peppered by guest performances. Aurora Galore and her dazzling striptease-cum-fire-dancing sequence makes one of them, and a strangely sweet, brazen yet thoughtful routine by Adrienne Truscott another. While CabaRIOT did have a consistent thematic narrative, one foible to be found was the lack of general banter between Frisky and Mannish onstage. With a chemistry at once natural, playful and joyous, I would have happily sat another hour to witness them on a Wednesday evening.
CabaRIOT is an impressive feat of wit, politics and a finely-crafted call-to-action. If you like your cabaret with glitter, anarchy and sass, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better show this Fringe.
You can see Frisky and Mannish: CabaRIOT at The West Australian Spiegeltent in the Pleasure Garden until Tuesday, February 9th. Tickets available here.
