Inside the ETU ballroom of the Trades Hall, I come upon the depths of a smoke-filled room, with chairs lined up much like a church choir hall, with a six piece band across the back of the stage, seemingly ready to roll.
A bass player. A female drummer wearing a pink cap. A guitarist. A female keyboard player. Even a keys 2. Finishing off with a horn player.
‘A Woman Song’ by Emmy Meli plays overhead. As does ‘Good luck babe’ by Chappell Roan. Pink stage lights beam above, bouncing off the myriad of sparkly items that sit on a prop table: a glittery notebook, a mobile phone, a pair of pink crocs, a bedazzled hairbrush, a makeup pouch entitled ‘passenger princess’, a hot pink beauty headband, and a matching-coloured facial roller.
On the left, and hung on a pole railing, sits a sheer mesh, faux fur trim, long sleeved kimono robe, ready for the taking. Ready to be worn by a bold and empowered performer, Amelie Peters, who, as far as I had read, will aim to take us through a whirlwind, topsy-turvy sing-a-long extravaganza – like no other.
An intro is heard overhead. Of Amelie anxiously getting ready to perform. Putting her heart on her sleeve: at setting the show’s tone from the beginning. So we understand completely, without a doubt, that this show will be an in-depth, thought-provoking look at her life. About the trials and tribulations of a single girl in her thirties, and how she navigates her life in a modern, ever-changing world.
And if I thought this show would be straightforward, it couldn’t be further from the truth. This is fringe, and by fringe, I mean it is meant to be an experience that evokes the unexpected. The opposite of what we expect a show to be.
And Amelie, in sassy sista style, knows exactly what she is doing, as she enters through the back of the room and up the aisle – to the stage, dressed in a pink coat with fluffy, faux fur trim, launching into a harried opening number, showing off her operatic diva style, and letting us know that we must think of her as our ‘emotionally unstable godmother’, and that this is going to be the most intimate 60-minutes of our lives.
Next, she tries to warm us up as if we are in a choir, leading us in singing the scale of DO-RE-MI. I get excited, thinking that she will be coaching us in singing songs that we already know, as she is a singing coach. Songs by Britney Spears comes to mind, or the Spice Girls. Something light, fun and karaoke-like. Something safe and light-hearted.
But as we sing and hold a note, something else happens. Amelie throws out questions to the audience about the lows and lows of online dating and being ghosted.
As we wonder where this is going, I gather that Peters is not only a seasoned contemporary musical theatre performer and a standout operatic warbler, but she also writes songs. And not just any songs about the human condition. But songs that speak of the thoughts that consume the minds of a girl in her thirties, trying to bravely navigate her role in the world. A world where women are still fighting for their own truth. For their chance to shine.
About online dating? Peter’s sings a charming bopping ditty, ‘left, right, left’. Keeping up with the challenging of beauty standards? ‘Lotions, potions and circular motions’ to a 70’s beat. The challenges of driving with a man on a date? ‘Passenger princess’, even inviting a male onstage to hold a steering wheel prop. The value of friendship? ‘I choose mates over dates’. From ‘Life is hard’, lamenting when situations go wrong, to ‘living life filter free’, about stopping our own comparison wheels, to a song called ‘Fairybread’, about ‘adding some sprinkle when you are in a pickle’, Peters sings and story-tells through her songs with the utmost conviction, all of which we are invited to sing-a-long to and absorb along with her.
Peters contemporary musical theatre voice is no doubt superb, and I feel she definitely has the scope to write and perform in this hugely popular ‘Girl Era’ genre, similar to the success of ‘Legally Blonde’ or ‘Heathers’.
If I had to be more critical, it would be that I feel the show needs a bit more structure, if an audience is to be included in the singing. As some songs had lyrics on the projector wall, and some didn’t. I also feel that it could do with better pacing. As in, I would have like to have heard more storytelling monologues without music from Peters, as at times, it was difficult to hear her words with the band playing.
But if you are looking for a pop-infused, funky night where you can just bask in your girly-era, enjoy off-the-cuff singing with great amounts of audience interaction – plus the added bonus of ‘thinking pink’ with a glass of bubbly in your hands, then this is indeed the show for you!
To book tickets to Sink or Sing! A Sing-Along Cabaret, please visit https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/sink-or-sing-a-sing-a-long-cabaret.