Pawn Again Christian

There is a lot to be said about one’s early years and how indoctrination can play a big part in shaping one’s life. Annie Lee has us in awe of her mind-boggling journey in her first solo show, Pawn Again Christian.

Hallelujah sister and all praise to anyone who can escape the strict confines of a Jehovah’s Witness upbringing. Lee was raised in Launceston and spent part of her childhood living with her family in a lighthouse, only to dream of rooms with corners and having real friends who would not ostracize her for neighborhood door-knocking.

A natural and truth-seeking storyteller, dowdily dressed, she morphs into real life caricatures of people in her life. Lee delivers rhythmical comical banter that is bawdy, lewd and a little Chaucerian. A fine musician, with her ukulele on hand, she has the audiences singing choruses as sweet interludes.

Religion can shape one’s belief system and sometimes the one black sheep can jump out in leaps and bounds. At seventeen, expelled from the family home, she packs her suitcase and heads off to Sydney and begins her new life in the sinful Kings Cross. Sodom And Gomorrah, Virgin Mary, Jesus and other bible stories are interwoven and handled with probing whimsical humor.

Lee has come full circle with an unflinching acceptance of her previous life that in some ways has shaped her to be the person she is now. A favored stalwart in the Australian Cabaret scene, she has been performing for the past thirty years, including her role as Mourne with the multi -award winning trio, The Kransky Sisters, specializing in an old fashioned off beat and macabre musical comedy.

This show is no exception and a definite must see adventure.

Flora Georgiou