Cabaret Whore @ Underbelly

Sarah-Louise Young presents four disparate, desperate divas with one thing in common – the joy of her spectacular voice. Kasia from Eastern Europe, Bernie the diva of a certain age, the Frumpy Pigeon and duo Baby Doll and Dolly are superbly developed characters, with songs to match.

It is Kasia who sings the insightful and insightful Happy Immigrants, a satirical celebration of British life as lived by refugees and immigrants. The smiles on the decidedly whilte, middle-class and older audience become tighter,despite the lyrics’ wit  and tension-creating ability.

An Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway show, Cabaret Whore certainly feels it in the dinginess of Underbelly’s Belly Dancer. Bernie St. Clair, her first diva, calls attention to the undesirable seating arrangements of those on the sides rather than the front, yet it is only La Poule Plombée (the Frumpy Pigeon) who takes more than a token glance at these audience members. Nonetheless, Sarah-Louise Young demonstrates her consummate skill in shifting from diva to diva, accent to facial expression, most notably the vocal quality of her elder Bernie, with only the time it takes to change costume to get into character.