This celebration of the Ukulele left something to be desired for Danielle Rayner.
The unique format of Tricity Vogue’s cabaret is, unfortunately, more entertaining than the show itself. Over the course of the show, Tricity, acting as the mistress of ceremonies, invites three ukulele-wielding artists to the stage to perform a song or two (or, as it would seem, to shamelessly plug their own fringe shows) in order to win the votes of the ever-enthusiastic audience. The winner of this hour-long four-stringed showdown is granted the privilege of strumming the golden ukulele attached to Tricity’s head – a feat which is aptly named “The Uke of Edinburghâ€.
The problem with the Ukulele Cabaret is straight-forward. Whilst Tricity, the self-proclaimed vixen of “cheeky-jazz†is outstanding, her fellow artists leave a lot to be desired. In fact, as I sat through of one of the competitor’s songs, an arduous ukulele cover of Azealia Banks’s 212, I wished that I’d gone instead to watch Ms Vogue’s one-woman show, Calamitous Liaisons. It is Tricity who keeps the show afloat: delivering hilarious retorts to the most vocal and alcohol-induced members of the audience, raising depleted energy levels through feel-good sing-alongs and demonstrating her own terrific talent through the witty lyricism of her rousing number, ‘What Would A Gentleman Do?’.
Nevertheless, as part of the Free Fringe, you could do a lot worse than this show. If you’ve got a spare hour, pop along and regale yourself with some ukulele madness. Who knows – as the three competitors change every show, you may have more luck than me!
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