[2015014] Yana Alana – Between the Cracks
Yana Alana @ Garden of Unearthly Delights – Deluxe
9:45pm, Fri 13 Feb 2015
I had no idea who Yana Alana was before I entered the Deluxe this evening; several cabaret aficionados had raved to me about her work, but – aside from the “cabaret” genre – little else was known.
But as soon as a spotlight plucked Yana at the back of the room, starting the show with a record-scratching suddenness, I knew this was going to be… well, special.
Not least of all because of Yana’s appearance. Beneath the ebullient platinum-and-blue wig everything was blue. Here costume consisted of a blue merkin and a lot of blue body paint. She was… well, striking. And a little bit challenging, to be honest. I felt genuinely fearful for any potential audience interactions.
The second thing that hit me about Yana is her presence – she owns the stage and her audience, and her mighty voice doesn’t disappoint. Along with pianist Jo Abbott, Yana belts out some great tunes (including my second instance of Cohen’s Anthem for the evening) that are laced with comedy; at one stage, Yana produces an ab toning belt which – when applied – added an amusing (and fascinating) vibrato tinge to her voice.
But the main thread of the show revolved around the constant phone calls to accompanist Abbott from her manager, leading to Yana sacking her mid-show. Then came the worrisome audience interaction: a lucky audience member – dubbed Bert Bacharach – was plucked from the crowd to provide Alana’s backing. The resultant uneducated hand mashing was, of course, horribly discordant, leading to Alana using “Bacharach” to act as a mediator between herself and Jo.
The character of Yana Alana is wonderfully realised by Sarah Ward, with Abbott’s plain & deadpan nature creating a wonderful contrast to Yana’s brash blueness. Great sounds, bold sights, and an indomitable stage presence made Between the Cracks an absolute delight.
(14) Yana Alana – Between the Cracks: Stunning vocals presented in the blue-body-painted buff w/ phone interruptions. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 13, 2015