Tricity Vogue: Songs for Swinging Ukeleles

Tricity Vogue

Tricity Vogue previews her new cabaret Songs for Swinging Ukeleles at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Read review here:

Tricity Vogue, well known for her cabaret shows accompanying herself on the ukelele, has staged a preview of her new show to be taken up to the Edinburgh Festival.

Playing with the concept of cross-gender and drag, she dresses up in a beautifully tailored suit and, displaying great commitment, sports a slick man’s haircut – cut live on stage in a previous show at the same venue.

Songs for Swinging Ukeleles consists entirely of her own compositions, with anecdote and changes of costume, at one point re-applying her own shorn hair. The atmosphere created evokes a feeling of 1920s Weimar, though with less of the darkness associated with that era, and is refreshingly light and charming. The theatrical effect takes us gently into another world where we willingly suspend our disbelief.

As the title suggests, she sings of swingers (both of the sexual and dance kind), showgirls, sartorial elegance, love and her fear of joining the circus- she has been invited by a French one, it transpires.

Throughout the show, Vogue uses various devices to keep the audience participating and investing in the piece, and such encouragements are subtly and playfully done. She is a very engaging performer, cheeky without being crude and quite delightful.

The standout items, though, were the ones that struck a different note. The song on nightmares changed the tone of the piece reaching a deeper level, demanding a greater degree of attention, and her ballad on a date starting as a one-night stand and leading to a declaration of love added contrast.

The preview was performed in a South London pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, on one of the hottest nights of the year, thus attracting very little audience. Nonetheless, Vogue was able to sweep the small rather disparate group along and it was clear everyone had a very enjoyable night.
Both Vogue and the show deserve bigger crowds up in Edinburgh – she should do well.

Fiona-Jane Weston

About Fiona Jane Weston

I am Fiona-Jane Weston and as well as being a performer myself (see website), I write reviews of and features on shows, mainly on the London cabaret and theatre scene. I have worked in theatre for many years, but decided to embark on a new direction in cabaret in 2009, when I produced 20th Century Woman: The Compact Cabaret. Not wanting to neglect my love of spoken word, particularly drama and verse, I made the conscious decision to include these elements in the programme, as well as wonderful songs, to tell the story of women's changing status and preoccupations throughout the 20th Century and up to now. I was invited to audition for the renowned Cabaret Conference at Yale, run by the late legendary Erv Raible, and that was thrilled to be one of only 26 accepted that year, where I was taught by the masters of the genre. Amanda McBroom (composer of the Bette Middler hit "The Rose" and the poignant "Errol Flynn"), Laurel Massé, original member of Manhattan Transfer, Sally Mayes, Tony Award nominees Sharon McNight and Tovah Feldshuh, and New York cabaret veteran Julie Wilson were all on the faculty. We were also treated to the musical direction of Alex Rybeck, Hubert Tex Arnold and the now late Paul Trueblood. With the benefit of their insightful teaching and great encouragement, I took my show to The Duplex in New York, where I was delighted with the response. Since then, I have produced Loving London: The Capital Cabaret, using the same format of songs, poetry and drama, in various London venues, including Leicester Square Theatre and The Crazy Coqs. 2014, the centenary of World War 1, saw the launch of Wartime Women: the Khaki Cabaret to a sellout house at St. James Theatre, London, garnering great notices, including from The Times and Musical Theatre Review. I have since been touring the show to Belgium and throughout the UK. I hope these reviews and interviews entertain and educate at the same time, and if please do leave comments in the box. It's great to engage in a conversation about the Arts. Fiona-Jane Weston

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Posted on July 25, 2014 by Fiona Jane Weston

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