Presented by Sweet Peril
Reviewed 20th February 2017
“So, where is the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?” [Christine Aguilera]
“I didn’t have implants; I just had a growth spurt.” [Britney Spears]
Yvonne McAulay’s comedy performance focusses on pop stars and their fame, questioning their elevated status in modern society. Nestled in limestone tunnels beneath the nineteenth-century Adina Treasury Apartment Hotel, this intimate theatre piece was enhanced by heritage; old walls of unfinished stone and raw brick surrounded the capacity first-night audience.
It’s a one-woman show, and McAulay uses her character, Yolanda, to explore the world of the pop icon, often within a fairy-tale context. Poor Yolanda is a seriously conflicted wannabe. She yearns to be a pop star, has germophobia and performance anxiety, and shows a quirky literalist take on pop stars, their names, their lives and their song material. Yolanda’s first entrance into the space is a protracted affair, negotiations being between the stage manager (at the back of the room) and a terrified Yolanda (behind the curtain at the back of the stage). Once on stage, Yolanda affected a Sia-like reluctance to show her face, hiding behind a series of bizarre objects. When her face emerges, however, it becomes the driver for the whole show, with a clown-like range from bathetic to inappropriately hopeful.
McAulay’s voice is in splendid form. Whether speaking or singing, she manages both the space and her vocal quality to a nicety. There are great R’n’B riffs in her version of Three little ducks went out to play. OK, you had to be there. Much of her observational comedy uses mime, clown and physical theatre techniques to underline the absurdities of her topic. McAulay’s original songs and pop-song rewrites hold neat observations and humorous twists. While enjoying the ride, I found myself looking for a more satisfying story structure to the piece. Let’s hope that the show grows in definition and direction as it beds in during its Fringe run.
Michelle McAulay (the artist’s sister) assists by playing a quietly supportive guitar. The stage manager doubles as the disembodied voice of the Fairy-God-Tech. It’s all precisely as it should be in the Fringe – a new experimental theatre piece, performed by a brave and skilful theatre innovator who is game to take risks to build a performance of integrity.
Reviewed by Pat. H. Wilson
Rating out of 5: 3
Venue: Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury – Tunnels
Season: 19th – 25th February 2017
Duration: 50 minutes
Tickets: Full Price: $20.00
Concession: $15.00
Child: $15.00
Artist Discount: $15.00
Fringe Member: $17.00
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/once-upon-a-pop-star
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