Calling this show a Cabaret was the first mistake. Attempting to be some sort of musical, the show forgot about the love and the lust but made the lager indispensable. Had the group performed a music set I would have raved over the perfectly balanced harmonies, the range of songs and the fantastic cellist who kept the whole thing together with her enviable skills. Unfortunately, I was too distracted by a plot so full of holes it resembled a pair of fishnets and the embarrassing and over-dramatic attempts of the actors to perform it. Involving an unemployed banker, a barmaid and a politician who go on an impromptu road trip in outback Australia only to find their purpose in life and return, this story was punctuated with songs which had little or no relation to what was happening. I found myself dreading the moments which separated the songs and were compromised of unoriginal, forced dialogue, often making little sense.
Above all, this show is a lesson to not bite off more than you can chew. Why detract from the beautiful piano and cello duets we were treated to and the fun of songs such as ‘Tie me a Kangaroo down’ with distressing attempts at accents and revealing costumes? I beg of Funkier Than Alice to please forget the story, the accents, and the costumes and entertain the audience with their show-stopping renditions of soulful ballads and music-hall favourites.
