The Hayes Theatre Company in Kings Cross partners independent producers and artists, championing small scale musical theatre and cabaret. Its 2016 cabaret season runs from June 13th to July 10th.
A highlight of the season is Joanna Weinberg’s cabaret PANDORA’S BAG, a delightful, witty parody of women’s lives as seen through their most indispensible of accessories, the handbag.
Weinberg has written thirteen one woman shows, and in this, her fourteenth, PANDORA’S BAG, she is accompanied on her piano by three fabulous female jazz musicians, Kate Adams on cello, Nicola Ossher on drums and percussion and Ellen Kirkwood, who also does heart-warming harmonies, on trumpet.
Also appearing intermittently is the beautiful and funny Chantelle, bag model extraordinaire, played by Sarah Tari.
The show, with its laid back and cool stagecraft and humorous cynicism, is reminiscent of Berlin’s cabarets of the 1920s and Weinberg’s lyrical prowess is as clever as Noel Coward’s.
Before emigrating to Australia in 1997, Weinberg was a well- known actress in South Africa with a substantial body of film and theatre credits. As well as co-writing and composing the Australian film, “Goddess” in 2013, she has won several awards including pick of the Fringe at the 2013 Sydney Fringe Festival for her musical, “Lifeforce”. Her show “The Piano Diaries” has received critical acclaim in the US.
Throughout the eight clever songs in PANDORA’S BAG, the bag ‘is examined as a metaphor for all things female and explored as adornment, status symbol and keeper of memories’.
The song, ‘My Mother’s Bag’ carries humour and nostalgia, ‘Corporate Bitch’ is a hilarious spoof on the powerful business woman.
‘Vita’ is a tender and sentimental song of a charming and roguish singer that Weinberg visited weekly in the year before she died at age 95.
‘Bag Porn’ relates to the euphoria of shopping on the net and ‘For Pandora’ and ‘Laundry Bag’ take a more serious look at women’s position in the home and in war.
This is a show worth seeing, as indeed is anything presented by Joanna Weinberg. It’s uplifting, musically funky and totally enjoyable. As they say in their program, “The show doesn’t only appeal to women – men have their baggage too”.
PANDORA’S BAG will return on the 4th of September 2016 at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville.
