Geraldine Quinn – Shut Up and Sing
Geraldine Quinn @ The Tuxedo Cat – Rooftop
7:30pm, Sun 7 Mar 2010
This show marked my fourth show with the Ginge Minge (her words, not mine) in four Fringes and, after the mild disappointment of last year’s effort, it was great to see Gerry back into top form.
Shut Up and Sing documents Quinn’s quest to create the perfect pop hit, casting a objective and humorous eye over all manner of song styles and cultural references. She creates a Eurovision song (in the style of Waterloo), looks at ethno-curious pop (leveraging Shakira), attempts to isolate the addictive qualities of Lady Gaga by presenting a recording of her six-year-old niece singing her lyrics, and even attempts to tap into the national psyche by evoking Gallipoli.
Throughout, Gerry’s singing and guitar-playing (and backing tracks) are faultless – and we’re also privy to some… brave costume choices. And there’s a brief sojourn into the need for a quality dance step to be associated with the perfect pop song, though Quinn’s “chicken chicken kitten-kitten chicken” moves led to the phrase “Where’s my left foot? …oh, there it is” being uttered.
As usual, Geraldine Quinn delivered a brilliantly entertaining show, chock full of great jokes and songs and singalongs (her lyrics sheet was ace). And that final costume… oh my.