A review of
MARS: an Interplanetary Cabaret
Wednesday 25th July, Bondi Feast '18
This is a show to see after a hard day. It is an after-dinner mint made musical. It is undeniably fun, uplifting and easy to digest, making meaningful discussion of gender politics simple again.
I came into the space firstly astounded by the size of the performance arena; tiny. A round theatre inside tent no more than 3 metres in diameter, with a band set up on stage taking up about 30% of the performing area and dark velvet curtain walls, heavy lights hanging overhead and cramped seating I prepared myself for some discomfort. Expecting complexity, layers and to be working hard while watching, I thought that they couldn’t make it work. “7 bodies forming cabaret in here? No way.” But my assumptions were quickly disproved after the first 5 minutes. After being greeted by a Martian MC - a scene I thought could do with some substance - I was given a song. To me, “Space Cops” performed by two grizzly female agents was the true opening to the show. I learned here that the performance space was no hassle to performers who used the energy in their vocals as a primary storytelling device. Normally I am opposed to so much text (or song in this case) as I believe that it forfeits the immersive abilities of theatre but at this moment I was quite happy to be taken on a musical journey. The lyrics were succinct. “We are space cops. We kick alien butts” being the main takeaway. What made this truly special was the power in their voices. It was refreshing to see these young women exhibit honest talent. The small space became intimate and enhanced by impressions of each individual performer all the more.
The show is beyond campy. From tinfoil antennas to moments of “oh no! Our ship is going to crash! Aaaah”. But the show was honest in this, not selling it to us as more complex than it is and finding fun in the silliness of it all. Much of the laughs were results of simple clowning, something that I thought I couldn’t laugh at anymore as an adult (boy was I wrong). It brought to me a simple laugh, someone fell over and I was cackling. I felt like a child.
In saying all this, I do not want to sell the show short. While it wasn’t complex in execution it was meaningful. Gender politics and toxic masculinity were addressed without causing a sweat. After telling a story of “intergalactic sleazebags” all that I needed to take away was “don’t be a shit”, which was sung to me countless times and was swallowed by the audience with ease. It was effective and meaningful without diving too deep or causing too much stress for a late Wednesday night. I thought to myself “If I had a kid, I’d take them to this”
The music. The music was fantastic. A live band led by a commanding female pianist and singer was really the star of the show for me. They gave me cabaret, enough to get through the show and carry the story but also kept it fresh. I would have danced to the rock and roll twang that they gave me if I had the space. Their synchronicity and togetherness was exciting and warmed me from the get-go. A big kudos to the band whose name I wasn’t able to catch.
I must also acknowledge the general quality of performance across the board. The cast must have all chugged a Berocca before performing because boy were they ON. The energy of all performers is what really made it fun. In such a small amount of spac,e the livelihood was really infectious and I believe that is what had me laughing so hard. As someone who used to performed and does so now with hesitance when they have to, I respected the commitment to being so goofy. This extends especially to the men playing our 3 primary Martians, who fully embraced the humiliation that their characters were set up for. They were true clowns and I was truly affected by it.
In the general formatting and framing of the story, I was left wanting more. The show as a whole felt like a sample of something bigger, being resolved too quickly and rushing through the motions of the plot. I would have loved to savour moments of tension (the audience were teased once or twice with a heartwarming ballad that was to be sung, with the MC interrupting each time “it’s not your time yet!” I would have loved a little more of that. I feel as though that tension was released too quickly and that we were given what we want before the water had truly boiled). I feel like half an hour of more content would have filled the holes, although upon reflection I am unsure if I would have been able to sit for any longer than I did, as I did begin to feel sore and cramped and my ears began to ring from being in such a small and loud space. I’d love to see this work longer and on a bigger stage (perhaps even more marketed to families as I believe the core message is what we need to teach our children and the means of delivering it is perfect for this) as the circumstances had it feeling like a free trial of something bigger.
All in all, I truly had so much fun. I am grateful that the Bondi Feast was able to commission such a work that is unique, energetic and socially active. Would I pay 25 dollars for it again? Probably not. I would love to see some more substance for that amount of money (maybe this is only felt by sore walleted students like myself). But generally everyone involved should feel proud of what they have created and I as an audience felt grateful for what was given to me. After the show had ended I was able to chat with an exhausted cast member and realised that these people, cast and crew expended a great amount of energy and time for this show and the commitment they demonstrated is what really made this great.