Supergirly – Return of The Pop Princess

When you have two spectacular talents with great voices, a brilliant script (including the parodies of some iconic songs) and arguably more laughs than the whole of this year’s comedy festival put together, you are bound to be packed to the rafters night after night. Right? Well…no actually. And that’s a tragedy, because this is quite simply one of the funniest shows of the decade, if not the century. (Yes, I know we’re only 14 years in!)

McClatchy revives her highly successful “Supergirly” character from the late 90s (when she truly did rub shoulders with superstars who adored her cabaret)…adding some depth and pathos to the delusional once famous pop princess who stays hidden in her mansion. This time out she is partnered with the incomparable Lyall Brooks, surely one of the best and most versatile of actors currently on the scene.

This is (loosely) a book show, with a proper arc, but mainly it’s a comedy triumph. McClatchy has a sensational vocal range and the comic skills of a Lucille Ball. The humour is largely the “taking the piss” variety, but with real knife-edge satire at its heart. She’s a very clever writer too, and the parodies of the lyrics are frighteningly good. Naming all the stars who “Still Call Australia Home”….but were born in the UK or NZ, is pure gold. The pathos comes from Supergirly ringing her own doorbell for expected celebrity visitors who never come. Instead she has Brooks impersonate them…as if it’s not enough that she is convinced he is really Bradley Cooper. She never sees, until the last moment, that “Bradley” is the one who has stuck by her and cares for her.

It takes a great performer NOT to be swamped by McClatchy – and Lyall Brooks is that performer. His warmth (and genuine commitment to every role I’ve seen him play) makes the straight lines totally credible, and the pathos in the second act truly moving.  You want him to win Supergirly. But over and above that he is hilariously funny and his dance to “Moves Like Jagger” left the audience with tears of laughter. He topped it with his Britney Spears impersonation. A great comic actor will win over stand-up every time.

Our Pop Princess goes through eleven costume changes, each one better than the last, and it’s a lovely touch that the dresser gets to take a curtain call. Jessie White has done a fabulous job with wardrobe…and the set works a treat, though there’s no credit for design (another McClatchy/Brooks creation? Is there anything they cannot do?) Sound (Chris Wenn) and Lighting (Douglas Montgomery) are both excellent throughout. Simply from a personal point of view, I’d like to see the show as a 90 minute offering without the interval …give Lulu a break by having Brooks do a slow number, a ballad which could still be parodied to explain why he sticks around …perhaps a Celine or Whitney offering ..or something cool but nerdy, like a Michael Buble song. That would also help maintain momentum, instead of having to build again after the interval. Some thought could also be given to tightening up the audience participation (I LOVED the One Direction mums being told in song “You don’t know you’re pitiful”). Highlights are Lulu facing off as Madonna and Gaga….with a gag using ice-cream cones that almost had me fall off the chair with laughter…and The Britney Spears segment showing how her hit songs were basically the same song recycled.

Perhaps the show has been marketed in a way that makes an older audience believe it is not for them. Don’t fall into that trap. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know all the songs or references, it’s great entertainment…and great entertainment is for everyone. Lord knows it’s a rare thing, and “You shouldn’t miss the chance when you’ve got the chance to say…I love you…I honestly…” Oops…that’s another show (but if the cap fits). You only have four more days to see this gem. Let your inner pop star run riot. I promise you’ll love it.

Coral Drouyn