Dolly Diamond and Tash York at The Butterfly Club - Review

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Mon 25 Jan 2021 - Sat 30 Jan 2021

Last night, I found myself feeling happier than I had in a long time, as I laughed, cheered and hooted my way through the fabulous performance presented by two cabaret stars - Tash York and Dolly Diamond - in their 'package deal show' at The Butterfly Club . The feeling of happiness was borne of something greater than my enjoyment of these talented entertainers - it had to do with a gratitude that The Butterfly Club (perhaps my favourite performance space) has endured, live performance is finding its feet again, and there is, finally, a sense that things are starting to return to 'normal'.



The double bill show started with a one hour performance by Tash York , supported by The Red Red Wines. Tash's show featured original and parody songs, including the memorable Crazy Cat Lady - a tilt at the cats she 'collected' in 2020. She also has a great talent for telling stories, the themes of which (not surprisingly) generally centred around reflections of a long time spent in lockdown. While this might sound bleak, it most certainly was not, told as it was in Tash's light and self-effacing manner.

Along the theme of reflections on lockdown, remember Karen of Brighton, of the "you get sick of walking the same streets, I've done all of Brighton" fame? Tash does a great parody of Karen, complete with Karen 'wig'.

Equally memorable was a very clever series of improvised songs, based on five themes suggested by the audience, of items on their wish list for the next five years: 'get a cat', 'drink more wine', 'to cure my loneliness', 'overseas travel', 'to help him cure his loneliness'. This is where The Red Red Wines came into their own, with 'June Bag' (Matthew Hadgraft) leading the trio into song on the keyboard, and Vivian Fonteyn demonstrating great talent in playing the violin, leaving Tash with the challenging task of quickly devising song lyrics for the five short songs.



Tash has a powerful voice that is well suited to cabaret and a great stage presence. Her original stories and songs are clever and well crafted. Her performance is beautifully supported by the talented Red Red Wines, each of whom adds much to the richness of the show with their individual skills, and their uber-expressive faces, but in a way that complements and promotes Tash as the lead.

After an intermission, Dolly Diamond burst onto the stage and quickly demanded the audience's attention with a singalong in the form of Barry Manilow's classic Copacabana.



As well as singing some original and 'modified' songs, Dolly read from the diary she kept during lockdown, again touching in a humorous way on the theme of how she kept herself entertained - and sane - during those long months.



We chatted to Tash York during the intermission, and she told us that she has known Dolly Diamond for a long time, and looked on her as a mentor, so it was perhaps no surprise that Tash and Dolly performed a song together as part of Dolly's act.



Another singalong - the not quite John Denver classic I'm (not) Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Dolly's rendition of Eye of the Tiger - while on a Spin bike - and all too soon the show was over.

Dolly's performance is polished and engaging. She's the master (mistress?) of the singalong, and a consummate cabaret performer, and brings to the fore that 'feel good' element.

Overall, this was a thoroughly entertaining evening and a strong opening show for The Butterfly Club. I can't wait to get back and see more live performances!

Package Deal: Dolly Diamond and Tash York is playing at The Butterfly Club , 5 Carson Place, Melbourne, at 7pm each night until Saturday 30th January.

Click here for more information.

The images in this article were taken by the writer.

#cabaret
#cbd
#comedy
#city
#nightlife
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#theatres
#things_to_see
#january
!date 25/01/2021 -- 30/01/2021
%wnmelbourne