WHERE
TVNZ Crystal Palace
ADMISSION
Adults $35.00 GA (TECT $28.00)
Booking Fees Apply
Booking Fees Apply
DURATION
80 mins (no interval)
Event Sponsor
Reviews
The TVNZ Crystal Palace, Saturday 24 October, 8.30pm:
I laughed at the title of Meow Meow’s ‘Beyond Glamour: the Abs... more...
Meow Meow
Nyree Sherlock
The TVNZ Crystal Palace, Saturday 24 October, 8.30pm:
I laughed at the title of Meow Meow’s ‘Beyond Glamour: the Absinthe Tour,’ as it not only sounded wonderfully world-weary, it echoed the witty cynicism and fatigued femininity of past cabaret sirens like Marlene Dietrich. The word cabaret is often misused, for it means much more than singing faux-French in subdued lighting sans sexy-gown; cabaret embodies political satire, burlesque, stand-up comedy, improvisation with audience, and a voice that can cut to the quick of the soul: Enter Meow Meow in a haze of smoked lighting, late for her own show; with two cigarettes perched like talons in her gesturing hand, all eyes are on her as she teeters unapologetically up the runway with Euro-flight luggage, stopping for the essential glass of red wine, which she extorts from a willing punter. By the time the flawed, but thrilling, Meow Meow sets foot on stage, we are totally hers: we dress her, dance cheek to cheek, hold her up as she flings upon us in a wanton desire to crowd-surf, and we love her when she finally delivers her voice: powerful/pitch-perfect, with an extraordinary range, from Dietrich growl to sublime operatic; pianist John Thorn is a brilliant accomplice, seamlessly enabling her spontaneous improvisations, along with the serious and the exquisite in her song-book.
I laughed at the title of Meow Meow’s ‘Beyond Glamour: the Absinthe Tour,’ as it not only sounded wonderfully world-weary, it echoed the witty cynicism and fatigued femininity of past cabaret sirens like Marlene Dietrich. The word cabaret is often misused, for it means much more than singing faux-French in subdued lighting sans sexy-gown; cabaret embodies political satire, burlesque, stand-up comedy, improvisation with audience, and a voice that can cut to the quick of the soul: Enter Meow Meow in a haze of smoked lighting, late for her own show; with two cigarettes perched like talons in her gesturing hand, all eyes are on her as she teeters unapologetically up the runway with Euro-flight luggage, stopping for the essential glass of red wine, which she extorts from a willing punter. By the time the flawed, but thrilling, Meow Meow sets foot on stage, we are totally hers: we dress her, dance cheek to cheek, hold her up as she flings upon us in a wanton desire to crowd-surf, and we love her when she finally delivers her voice: powerful/pitch-perfect, with an extraordinary range, from Dietrich growl to sublime operatic; pianist John Thorn is a brilliant accomplice, seamlessly enabling her spontaneous improvisations, along with the serious and the exquisite in her song-book.
International singing sensation and performance artist Meow Meow descends on the Tauranga Arts Festival in a wild journey of obsessive love songs, minor multimedia, tired old tricks and gorgeous cabaret.
The darling of the Euro jet-set mixes up an explosive cocktail of kamikaze kabarett, sequins, and karaoke splendour. Meow Meow surrenders to the Business we call Show with dexterity and desperation that is beyond mere glamour…
A sequined sex bomb waiting to detonate in a dazzling downward spiral. Direct from sell-out seasons in Shanghai, New York, Edinburgh and Sydney, with the inimitable John Thorn on piano.
“Meow Meow boasts an extraordinary voice that sounds as though Diamanda Galás drowned in cherry liqueur. This gifted dilettante sang, purred and cunningly stumbled her way through 80 delicious minutes of post-ideological posturing. Proving that femininity is a performance, that Brecht need not be tedious and that lingerie can be improved with the elaborate use of tassles, Meow was a shrieking triumph.”
The Age
“This season at the Spiegeltent soon sold out and it’s not hard to see why: its star is vibrant, sexy, funny and super-talented…she has the audience hanging on her every move… This show is surely one of the hits of the festival.”
Herald Sun