The Kransky Sisters: Heard It On The Wireless
The Kransky Sisters @ Union Hall
8:20pm, Fri 24 Feb 2006
Score: 6
Like many others, I first came across the Kransky Sisters whilst channel surfing one Saturday night. Coasting through SBS’ “In Siberia Tonight“, I spied the three sisters performing a most odd arrangement of Mi-Sex’s “Computer Games”. Despite the weird orchestration – tuba, organ and saw – it seemed both perfectly apt, and gigglingly hilarious.
And that’s what drew me to the performance tonight – the memory of a cheeky rendition of an otherwise long-forgotten 80’s classic. And the Sisters didn’t disappoint – after wandering onstage through the audience, they entered a charming story / song / story rhythm, through which they detailed their lives and adventures thus far.
The songs were great – in particular, peculiar renditions of Highway to Hell, The Age Of Aquarius, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These); they even delved into the area of mash-ups: Deee-Lite, Pink, and M coming in for some treatment there.
Musically, they’re tighter than a duck’s chuff – though there were some odd harmony issues, but the looks exchanged between Mourne and Eve intimated that either they were staged, or just milked for laughs. The interludes between songs often got a little stilted, but that’s probably a result of their characterisations.
Overall, this was an entertaining hour or so, though I don’t think I’d necessarily pencil the Kransky Sisters in next time they’re in town (I’m not sure their gimmicks would last another sitting). In fact, the cynic in me thinks that this show is simply a concatenation of a bunch of their TV spots. And be warned – their “audience participation” prank is one of the most cruel tricks I’ve ever seen a “volunteer” suffer. Not nasty cruel, mind you, but still…