• theatre
  • features
  • faqs
  • contact
  • theatre
  • features
  • faqs
  • contact
  Art Murmurs - Wellington Reviews

Reviews

That's All She Wrote

9/7/2021

Comments

 

Jenny Nimon

Picture
That’s All She Wrote is Red Scare Theatre Company’s latest spellbinder. In a move that shouldn’t be revolutionary but is, this show puts the work of female and non-binary musical theatre writers in the spotlight. Red Scare promises cabaret but delivers a robust experience that doesn’t skimp on any of the theatrical elements at its disposal, while still preserving that stripped-back feeling that gives the music space to be heard.
​    
How someone can be simultaneously sultry and endearing, I don’t know, but writer and performer Cassandra Tse pulls it off. She commands the stage without feeling the need to shrug away her sweetness, and for me this is one of the most empowering things she can do (*cough cough* the patriarchy has conditioned us into thinking we have to reject classic femininity to take up “male” space *cough cough*). Tse shows dexterity in her vocals, particularly in “Lioness” from Miss You Like Hell where she shifts from pretty melody to speak-singing to belting and back again – that’s one smooth passaggio. While Tse’s Southern accent could be a little cleaner, she moves for the most part between accents with ease. My personal favourite of the night is “Taylor, the Latte Boy”, which Tse performs in her own Kiwi accent and rewrites to romanticise none other than a Mojo barista. Suffice to say it elicited a few laughs from the audience.

Despite Tse’s ability to hold the attention of an audience, it is clear that this is not really a solo show. The scenographic blend is the thing that lifts That’s All She Wrote from a concert to a musical art exhibition. It’s glamorous. Rachel Hilliar’s set comprises four pillars of taped-together sheet music, which mesmerise me before the show even begins. Then the backlights come up, courtesy of lighting designer Ruby Kemp, and the stage is transformed. The pillars turn fire, then smoke, then river – all from a simple shift in colour from the back lighting, and it is beautiful. The No Man Band (great name, by the way) is led by music director Katie Morton, and not once in the show does it feel like they are just accompanying Tse. The band brings musical breadth to the show. They take their own big moments without ever stepping over Tse’s vocals, with my personal favourite being the pairing of Ellie Stewart’s violin with Morton’s accordion during “The Crying Scene” from Murderballad. The show is incredibly slick, which is in large due to the mix of talented artists involved, but also likely in part due to the skillful interweaving of said artists’ offerings by director James Cain.

Tse’s curation of work reads like a love letter – to musical theatre, but also to badass women and non-binary folk. She takes us on a journey that is light and fun but also a little bittersweet, as it’s one we should have had the opportunity to go on a long time ago. That’s All She Wrote is showing at Te Auaha until this Saturday 10 July and is selling out fast. To book tickets or to find out more, visit the Red Scare website.

Comments

    Local Honest Reviews

    At Art Murmurs, our aim is to provide honest and constructive art reviews to the Wellington community.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    All Age Appropriate
    Art
    BATS
    Beauty Standards
    Black Comedy
    Body Positive
    Circa
    Circus
    Comedy
    Comedy Festival 2018
    Comedy Festival 2019
    Comedy Gala 2022
    Community Theatre
    Dance
    Devised
    Documentary
    Drag
    Drama
    Emerging Artist
    Exhibition
    Experimental
    Female Artists
    Feminism
    Feminist
    Festival
    For Kids
    Fringe
    Fun
    Gallery
    Gryphon Theatre
    Hannah Playhouse
    Heart + Music
    History
    Improv
    Interactive
    International
    Interview
    Ivy
    Lighting
    Local
    Mental Health
    Monologue
    Music
    Musical
    New Writing
    New Zealand
    NZ Comedy
    NZ Fringe
    NZIF
    On Tour
    Performance Poetry
    Photography
    Photospace Gallery
    Physical Theatre
    Political
    Politics
    Premiere
    Pyramid Club
    Queer
    Race
    Roxy LIVE
    Science
    Scruffy Bunny Improv Theatre
    Sexual Violence
    Shakespeare
    Site Specific
    Site-specific
    Sketch
    Solo Show
    Song
    Spoken Word
    Stagecraft
    Storytelling
    Tahi Festival
    Te Auaha
    Theatre
    Thought Provoking
    Thought-provoking
    Thriller
    Toi Poneke Gallery
    Verbatim
    Victoria University
    Violence
    Virtual Theatre
    Weekly
    Wellington
    Wellington Footlights
    Wellington Repertory