The life and times of Britney Spears will be celebrated (?) in a satirical cabaret coming to The Brisbane Powerhouse in February. After sell-out runs in Sydney and Melbourne,
Britney Spears: The Cabaret hits Brisbane for a five-night run.
I'm no fan of Spears' music -- in fact, come to think of it,
Oops, I Did it Again is the only one of her songs that I even know the name of (and I have a feeling she hadn't long graduated from Mouseketeer to teen hussy when she did that one).
But I confess I was fascinated by her celebrity-trainwreck life a few years ago, when you were more likely to hear about Brit because she'd just shaved off her hair or had another 'accidental' photo taken sans underwear than because she'd released a hit single.
Yes, she was wild and unpredictable, which is generally interesting. But I was also fascinated (and saddened) by her rapid metamorphosis from sexy songstress to troubled young mother and divorcee, chewed up by the same fame factory that had helped her earn millions.
The highs and lows of Spears' life were a burlesque begging to be brought to the stage. Written and directed by Dean Bryant with musical direction by Matthew Frank,
Britney Spears: The Cabaret does just that. The show takes a selection of the pop princess's songs, gives them a cabaret/jazz makeover, and pairs them with a witty script to create a one-hour, one-woman show that's received rave reviews everywhere it's played.
Musical theatre star Christie Whelan is Ms Spears, giving the audience an insight into Brit that's been described by reviewers as both 'hilarious' and 'strangely touching'. The revamped songs have also received high praise, both for their musical quality and for the clever way in which the lyrics are used to illuminate Spears' life and the nature of the celebrity machine. Songs featured include
Circus,
Sometimes,
Toxic,
Piece of Me and many more.
Brit-Brit's life seems relatively calm at present, with a third marriage on the cards and her professional and personal life apparently in order. But, down at The Powerhouse, you can watch that train crash all over again (and again, and again) for five nights in February.
