A Bit Of A Mouthful.
Devised and performed by Ian Shaw. The Banquet Room. Adelaide Festival Centre. June 17-18 2015.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
 |
| Ian Shaw. Photos by Steve Ullathorne |
When is an hour simply not
enough? When it is spent with singer/songwriter, pianist extraordinaire and
rapier- sharp wit, Ian Shaw. London based Shaw premieres his unique brand of
jazz and original variations on popular songs with the flamboyant panache of a
fearless raconteur. With a delectable taste for biting satire, verging
teasingly on the bitchy he tears into the “shit singers” who dare to attempt
covers of the great singers, or the drag queens who would strive to impersonate
the great Ella Fitzgerald. Nothing or no one is spared his swiping lyrics. From
superfoods like the Quatromiserie Pizza or the Insalata Regrette with Remorse
dressing to Quinoa, he makes a quick meal of food fads.
In the Australian premiere of his latest
cabaret show, A Bit Of Mouthful, Shaw is not remiss in exposing his own peccadilloes. Childhood memories of bedwetting and school-day
recollections lend his revelation a touch of pathos, cloaked in humour or
poignancy avoided with a swift serve of cynicism or deprecation. Noel Coward
would be proud of his acerbic dismissal of anyone he dislikes who would seek to
be his friend, such as unfortunate school associate Graham Yeats. Shaw is not
one to tolerate fools gladly, and his phenomenal talent is all the armoury he
needs to cut the pretentious down to size. His original lampoon of abbreviated
text, delivered in a sequence of only occasionally recognizable messages such
as lol is a triumph of patter and wit.
There are moments when Shaw takes
a turn to expose the private heart, the gay man’s need for love in his tender,
soulful rendition of the Lorenz Hart/ Richard Rodgers song I Wish I Were In Love Again .
In a show that touches poignantly on the personal at times, he reveals the
vulnerable nature of love in a moving rendition of Ira Gershwin and Harold
Arlen’s classic Judy garland song, The
Man That Got Away.
In an extraordinary display of
his piano playing talent Shaw accompanies his friend, Glyinis Traill-Nash,
fashion editor for The Australian and renowned Blues singer, whom he invites on
stage to sing Sister. Traill-Nash’s resonant and resonating rendition is brilliantly
accompanied by Nash, much to the delight of the audience, who have come to
Shaw’s final appearance at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Shaw’s planned Canberra visit has been postponed to 2016, when he will be appearing at The Street Theatre. A Bit Of A Mouthful is not to be missed cabaret, an unique concoction of blistering wit, idiosyncratic singing, surprising jazz syncopation and superb piano playing. An Adelaide Cabaret Festival coup, Shaw is sure to surprise, delight and give you an unforgettable, value -packed hour of first class entertainment.
Shaw’s planned Canberra visit has been postponed to 2016, when he will be appearing at The Street Theatre. A Bit Of A Mouthful is not to be missed cabaret, an unique concoction of blistering wit, idiosyncratic singing, surprising jazz syncopation and superb piano playing. An Adelaide Cabaret Festival coup, Shaw is sure to surprise, delight and give you an unforgettable, value -packed hour of first class entertainment.