[2013039] Confessions of a Control Freak
Belinda Raisin @ The Tuxedo Cat – Red Room
8:30pm, Thu 21 Feb 2013
As grammatically incorrect as it is, common usage allows me to state that I’m a little bit OCD. Which is probably like being a little bit pregnant, I’m guessing, but without the physical impact. The point is that I manage my little issue with lists. Lots and lots of lists. Lovely, organisational lists with checkboxes and their associated statistics.
So Belinda Raisin’s alter ego, Frances, was immediately identifiable to me. In attempting to gain control over her seemingly unruly life, Frances thrust herself into all the usual life-changing forays – time micro-management, better eating, more stringent exercise regimes – and co-ordinates using those oh-so-familiar Lists.
Of course, micro-management and procrastination (spurred on by copious amounts of alcohol, it would seem) are not comfortable bedfellows, and all of Frances’ planning soon spiralled out of control; it’s entertaining to see someone else’s disorder play out so comically, and Raisin’s monologue plays with the chaotic desperation that all List-Followers feel when they realise that their obsessions are drifting out of control. The wonderful climax of the performance – leaving Frances tentatively accepting that, try as she might, she cannot exert complete control over everything (and that’s okay!) – is at once heart-warming and slightly nerve-wracking… and familiar.
Raisin certainly has a wonderful stage presence: her dialogue and connection to the audience is really nice, and for the most part her singing (yes, there’s a collection of control-freaky songs peppered throughout) is lovely; it’s only when the songs require some bass notes that her limitations are revealed, as there’s no real projection behind the lower frequencies. Her piano accompanist, James Teh, was fascinating to watch; blind since birth, his stage demeanour showed absolute concentration, and his timing was impeccable.
Bass notes aside, Confessions of a Control Freak was an enjoyable way for me to experience the ludicrous nature of my own obsessions; this was one performance where my familiarity with the topic greatly assisted my appreciation. Once again, however, I’m left a little heartbroken as Frances repeatedly referred to her husband throughout the performance; she could have write my Lists anytime.