Dating Disasters

Dating Disasters’ premise was guaranteed to please: a verbatim cabaret built from anonymous audience confessions, stitched together with pop-rock standards and original musings on romance gone wrong. It was a format ripe for comic recognition, and the audience responded warmly, relishing the catharsis of shared misfortune. Yet while the show delivered charm, relatability, and flashes of strong character work, its musical execution remained a work-in-progress, with the overall production still seeking the polish needed to fully realise its ambitious hybrid form.

As Bea, Karen Lee Roberts presented a character who teetered delightfully between earnest vulnerability and comedic self-delusion. Her physicality was especially effective: the frozen tableaus held during voiceover sequences were cleverly deployed, offering visual punctuation to the parade of dating anecdotes. Her facial expressions including those micro-reactions that flickered between hope, horror, and absurd revelation, were a consistent highlight. Dramatically, Roberts proved a strong, grounded performer with a clear sense of character and narrative flow.

Vocally, however, Roberts struggled across the board. There was clear expressive intent in her musical choices, but the technique did not always hit the right note. Much of her singing defaulted to a breathy, high-pitched tone with little support from the diaphragm, leaving the lower and middle registers underexplored. A recurring lack of breath control caused issues with pitch, projection, and rhythmic accuracy. Timing lapses became noticeable, often requiring the keyboardist (Tammy Sarah Linde) to adapt to Roberts’ fluctuating pace.

Linde, appearing as Krystal and also serving as keyboardist, proved a stabilising musical force. Her harmonies were clean, warm, and supportive, and her acting felt natural. Linde navigated the shifting timing with professionalism, adjusting fluidly whenever Roberts drifted out of tempo. Vocally, she demonstrated ease across her range, offering contrast and balance to the vocal qualities of the lead.

As writer Roberts shaped a concept with strong audience appeal. The verbatim material was relatable by nature, and the script captured the awkwardness, exhilaration, and sheer absurdity of contemporary dating culture. The selection of songs which included Ain’t Misbehavin’ to You Oughta Know, Piece of My Heart, Scar, and Endless Love was eclectic and thematically aligned with the show’s exploration of emotional tumult. The humour was broad and accessible, and its effectiveness was evident in the crowd’s enthusiastic response.

Structurally, the interplay between monologues, anecdotes, and song worked well. The strongest sequences were those rooted in character, where Bea’s emotional narrative aligned with the verbatim content. The pacing of the spoken scenes flowed well, and the performers’ rapport felt genuine. The production’s intimacy suited the material, and there was potential here for deeper dramaturgical shaping as the work evolved.

Technical operator David Sakko delivered well-timed lighting and sound cues that supported the action without dominating it. The design choices were modest but effective, allowing the performances to remain the focal point.

Dating Disasters was built on a foundation of authenticity, humour, and lived experience; all qualities that the audience clearly appreciated. Roberts’ commitment to the material was undeniable; she threw herself into each moment with a level of energy and heart that was both admirable and infectious. With further musical refinement and stronger vocal technique, the show could reach a far more cohesive and satisfying balance between its cabaret and theatrical elements.

As it stood, the production offered an evening of relatable storytelling with genuine crowd-pleasing appeal. There was plenty of promise within the concept and creative team, and with continued development, Dating Disasters could grow from an engaging idea into a truly polished cabaret offering.

Kitty Goodall

Photography by Joel Devreux