Performance on November 29th reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
In 1998 Jackie Loeb performed her show ‘Limited Social
Skills’ for a three-night season at The School of Arts Café in Queanbeyan. Back
then Jackie was attracting attention as an emerging cabaret and television
artist, already writing and performing on the popular satirical television
sketch comedy series Full Frontal.
In the interim between that appearance and last night’s performance
in the Street Theatre as part of the SpringOUT Festival, Jackie Loeb has carved
out an impressive career both in Australia and around the world with her highly
original brand of comedy.
Her one-woman show ‘Jackie Loeb Sings The Worst Songs Ever
Written’ opened the door to an International career when she was nominated for
the Best Comedy Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, which led to
appearances in comedy venues across America and on NBC’s Last Comic Standing
filmed in Miami and appearances on the UK comedy series The World Stands Up for
Paramount TV.
Basing herself in Los Angeles, Jackie performed in comedy
festivals and clubs across the US, while also maintaining a busy career in
Australia performing as the resident female voice-over artist for the Comedy
Channel, and a regular guest on The Today Show, Good News Week, Spicks and
Specks, The Playlist and Australia Versus.
While the need to care for an elderly parent may have put a
brake on her international career, Jackie’s comedic and musical skills have
lost none of their lustre as she demonstrated in last night’s performance at
The Street.
Surprising her audience by dropping to the floor to bust a
few breakdance moves, before claiming to be Raygun’s coach, she launched into her
first song, ‘I Was Born This Way’ before describing herself as a ‘K Mart Identifying
Lesbian’ and launching into a series of smart, sharp, wry, wise and hilarious observations
about anything and everything.
Topics ranged across people and their dogs, crowd-funding,
begging, vapes, being 50, reverse sexism and cancel culture. Observations about
living in Los Angeles provided the opportunity to display her mastery of
accents as well as a show highlight with her side-splitting rendition of an all-inclusive
Christmas Carol.
Her re-working of the Bob Geldof song ‘Feed the World’
provided the opportunity to flash her mimicry skills by reproducing the voices
and singing styles of Tracy Chapman, Macy Gray, Shakira, Tina Turner, Cher,
Sia, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.
While some tantalisingly short riffs on her electric guitar suggests that Loeb still has a few more strings to her talents, it was interesting to observe that she has retained that essential uniqueness that set her apart from the others way back in 1989.
All photos by Nathan J. Lester for SpringOUT.
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 30.09.24
