This is one woman’s tale of the many heartbreaks in her life and the lessons she learned from each that allowed her to be able to love herself instead of seeking it in others. It’s a well-worn subject for cabaret and will very likely continue to be so as long as the human race has to deal with all those messy emotions. This blend of music, monologue and dance is an intriguing experience that might not have worked in the hands of a less charismatic lead.
Emma Dean has a great voice, a real talent for lyrics and a fantastic backing band.
Emma Dean has a great voice, a real talent for lyrics and a fantastic backing band. Unfortunately, she also has to contend with a terrible sound mix whenever she moves over to the piano and many of her excellent lyrics are lost to the imbalance. It’s a shame as this is a lovely show.
The dance is provided by physical theatre performer Jamie Kendall who literally throws himself into the various roles of Dean’s past romantic interests. He’s a fantastic addition to the piece and has an engaging presence whenever on stage. Some audience interaction stays just the right side of fun when it could have quickly escalated into humiliation had Kendall not been so playful and confident.
Dean uses the idea of being a unicorn to justify her uniqueness, power and fabulousness to show the world that she doesn’t need to define herself by her relationships and that there is hope for any of us who may have been unlucky in love. The hope that we too can learn to not to require the approval of another and be a unicorn too. By the end of the show, the audience certainly seems inspired to go out into the world as fabulous creatures of magic.
