…is not necessarily gold…
The Lovebirds, billed as this year’s headline Spiegeltent show in the Garden Of Unearthly Delights, is somewhat of a letdown for cabaret enthusiasts, when compared to previous headliners: La Clique, The Company of Strangers and Cantina. But, if you’ve never seen a cabaret act in the Spiegeltent before, you’ll thoroughly enjoy these preening parrots in this spectacle.
The Lovebirds, led by the sultry silvery starlet, Simone Page Jones, make the most of the vast space afforded to them in the Idolize Spiegeltent: they sing and dance on stage, cluck and strut around the audience and will even attempt to seduce (read: mate) with unsuspecting punters. The highlights: the resounding rendition of Lady Depardieu and the sweet vocals of Jones throughout.
Rubina Carlson Nestled Amongst The LoveBirds
The feathery quartet are technically brilliant, and their supporting jazz quartet equally so. Kudos to Matthew Carey, who once again has proven his prowess as a musical director. The original songs are truly engaging: you’ll want to bop along or prevent that tear from escaping. Their costumes are awesomely outrageous: feathers, glitter, sequins, pinks, blues and golds. Their make-up almost a character of its own. Their dance routines seemed a little reminiscent of those seen in High School Musical and Glee: prop-driven and a little corny. Nevertheless, The LoveBirds carry right on – their enthusiasm for cabaret is infectious. The lighting cues were (as you’d expect from a Garden show) spot on, but occasionally the audio levels seem a little low. I missed a few of the more delicately delivered lines.
For the cabaret enthusiasts out there, the letdown really lies with the feeble plot. It is not much more than an excuse for these songbirds to chirp and croon about love, love-making and… well, you get the idea. I wanted the plot to advance during the 60 minute show, but instead was treated to a cyclical journey, simply reminiscing on days gone by.
Flashy and flamboyant, these LoveBirds won’t be flying away anytime soon… they are performing most nights at the Garden of Unearthly Delights until 18 March 2012. Tickets available here.
