Magic
Mirrors Spiegeltent June 12th, 2017
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens OAM
“Here I am,
a genuine legend, and they put me in a f…kin’ tent” are her opening words as
she takes the stage to the tune of the Irving Berlin anthem “No Business Like
Show Business”, resplendent in head-to-toe silver spangles and enough grey
ostrich feathers to launch a thousand hats. “Some poor fowl is running around
bare-arsed” she explains, as her accompanist, Helpmann Award winning, Michael
Griffiths breaks up over the baby grand.
She’s right
of course. She is a genuine legend, with a long career that harkens back to her
days in the 1960’s the leading lady of Les Girls in Kings Cross, then in the
1980’s touring her drag shows around the country, before finding a brand new
audience as an outspoken television panellist.
Carlotta has
an extraordinary tale to tell, and despite having written two books about
herself, and been the subject of a telemovie, she’s still got plenty of untold
tales to share with an audience eager to experience her outrageously funny, brutally
honest observations.
But more
than that, she’s a consummate entertainer. Observe the accuracy with which she
places her one-liners, the way she prowls the stage seeking out thick-skinned
victims who can deal with her hilarious back-handed insults. Listen how
cleverly she phrases the lyrics of her songs, especially her personalised
version of the Sondheim classic, “I’m Still Here “, even if Sondheim might wince
at some of her new rhymes.
Sure her
script could do with some tightening. The show does become a bit
self-indulgent, as she acknowledges old friends and acquaintances in the
audience. But these days she sings her songs live, in a pleasant light baritone
voice, no longer relying on the expert lip-synching to old Shirley Bassey
recordings that was her previous modis operandi.
Carlotta has
the back-story, the glamour, the experience and the voice, having made her
entrance into the world of big-time cabaret at this year’s Adelaide Cabaret
Festival, albeit in a tent, a very pretty tent, with the help of a good script ,
judicious selection of songs, and a good director and musical director, (are
you listening Michael Griffiths ?), she could well add another string to her
bow by morphing into an important star of the International cabaret circuit.
This review first published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
