Cake

Cake
Johanna Allen. 2018 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. June 20-21st 2018

Johanna Allen’s 70-minute show Cake is a salacious celebration of reckless consumption and excess. She is coquettish, bawdy, flippant, flighty and passionate, all within minutes. She gambols through the works of musical geniuses including Cole Porter, Madonna, Abba (a particular favourite of mine in this show), Kylie Minogue and the Eurhythmics, demonstrating a powerful, soaring and compelling vocal range through a myriad of styles including musical theatre, pop, jazz and light opera. Barely a centimetre of stage is left unused as she struts, slinks and drapes herself, conveying a range of moods and performance styles.

The four accompanying musicians playing keyboard, violin, bass and drums work perfectly in accompanying Allen, both musically and vocally. Musically, their work with the different genres is ‘spot on’, the bass providing a haunting musical bed for Allen’s sombre moments.

Somewhat obscure (but later explained), is Allen’s frumpy, bulky lame jump suit, worn with a Marie Antoinette-style wig used to firmly place the audience in a time where self-absorption was de rigueur. The outfit makes her look, at times, like a confused astronaut in the wrong time and place.

The lighting is excellent; both mysterious, and when needed, crisply focused to a commanding spotlight. Simple props such as oversized Jacqui O-style sunglasses are used quickly, simply and effectively.

The venue was fully subscribed when I attended, including a range of ages.

Centre stage, intriguingly lit behind a shower curtain, was what the audience later discovered was a bejeweled, decadent looking bath tub. The opening number, “I’m Addicted To You”, performed largely from the bath, was a crowd pleaser.

Particularly delightful is Allen’s almost straight-laced persona, woven through the show to define key words, in dictionary format. Spoken into a gold, back washing brush used microphone style, these are the words that drive the songs and the show.

Allen’s gift is her ability to sing a wide variety of musical songs well. Harnessing well-honed acting skills for carefully chosen effect, she intersperses powerful vocal work with husky and sexy spoken lyrics. We are introduced to her food passion through a cascade of songs like, “The Candyman”and“Food, Glorious Food”.She croons, she masticates melodies and moves on to what the show seems more about, the depersonalization of relationships and ‘realness’ in people and things. Her rendition of “So In Love With You” was note perfect and had the audience spellbound. The ‘flow’ of songs is impeccable and well chosen. The romance of the song, “If You Go Away”, sung in both English and French is beautifully poignant.

After her fine rendition of “Money, Money, Money”, I asked myself would this show possibly be better renamed, as her message was far deeper that a focus on cake. Fortunately, I knew that the Marie Antoinette reference was not really about cake.

Allen’s frenzied interactions with a mobile phone that appears from the Uber Eats bag is both hilarious and provoking, highlighting that despite the self-focus, dating sites and narcissistic culture we often see, what we ultimately all seek is to be loved for ourselves. Symbolically, the phone is used as the mirror of 21st century relationships for us all, and she cautions us and reminds us that life is more than a selfie or 140 characters.

To introduce fun, humour, shameless frivolity and lightness, Allen belts out, ”You Really Got Me”, quickly moving the audience to an exquisite rendition of “Colours Of My Dreams” and then, accompanied vocally by her backing group, delivering a powerful, poignant and sensuous rendition of Annie Lennox’s, “Sweet Dreams”,sharing her passion, desperation and desolation.

Just when the audience thinks that the show is ending, Allen unmasks her real self on stage. Under the towering wig is a simply groomed woman. Under the lame jump suit is a simple black dress, and for Allen, we see the unmitigated joy of a real life beginning.

On the night this reviewer went, the reveal was not smooth. Wigs and microphones slowed the opening of the chrysalis, but the audience forgave all as Allen stood proudly in the spotlight, showered with confetti and enthusiastic applause.

Jude Hines

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