Violet Rapscallion (a stray cabaret)
Bird Wizdom @ Nexus Cabaret
11:00pm, Thu 4 Mar 2010
Such was the aftertaste of An Awkward Seduction that I almost skipped Violet Rapscallion – what if, I briefly mused, that was the standard of all cabaret at the Nexus this year? Thankfully, my give-everything-a-chance policy forced me to return to the Nexus… because this was a fantastic show.
First up: Bird Wizdom were musically solid. Belting out a bunch of songs on the more gothic side of cabaret, they were tighter than a duck’s chuff, punchy and dynamic, and the mix was perfect. And the delicious Melanie Pryor was on cello… swoon.
They were led by the mysterious Anya… and, without wanting to belittle the band, she owned the stage. She’s a natural front for the band, swaggering around with confidence as she belted out songs with a powerful voice, then engaged in a little pantomime (with her imaginary friend Violet), a poetry reading, and some generally strange behaviour… and fantastic ukelele skills, too. She was, in a word, awesome.
But, like I said, that’s not taking anything away from the rest of the troupe. The belly dancer was brilliantly used, the songs were either over-the-top morosely gothic or jauntily funny, all with a Berlin cabaret edge. “That’s So Fucking Wrong”, the Interval Song, the Making Your Way Back To Your Seats Song, the “fuck you” harmonies… it was all bloody brilliant, with self-deprecating humour and stalking/stalkers featuring early and often.
Oh, and the costumes were great, too.
Seriously – this was an amazing show, and rest assured that Bird Wizdom will be on The List whenever they surface again.