Type: Cabaret, Musical Theatre, Storytelling
If You Liked: Michelle Brasier, Gillian Cosgriff, The Sound of Music
Sarah Bowers returns to the comedy scene to give Naarm audiences some much needed Sarahtonin in their lives – and to make some new best friends in the process! As a recent music theatre graduate, Bowers has injected this (ever so subtly) into the show’s structure, performing beautiful renditions from the likes of Oklahoma and Hairspray to accompany the “life’s little moments” stories she wishes to tell.
The thrill that Bowers was getting from being onstage and performing this show was infectious from the get-go. By gathering up handwritten comments from her audience to share what brings them joy, she established a lovely sense of unification that added a warm, fuzzy feeling (a stark contrast to the opening night downpour we had all escaped from). As stories were shared, we as an audience were invited to delve into our own memories of what made us happiest, in an act that felt a lot like a self-help cabaret (hey, wait a minute!).
Hearing tales from her grandma’s romantic escapades and adding some of her own, Bowers led us through an international voyage in search of finding “the one”, which had mixed reactions of surprise and concern from the room. The show was written to explore the perspectives of others, but blurred the line in terms of whether it was really a more personal reflection of self. It perhaps made the show’s 11 O’clock Number all the more powerful as we were given insight into a more raw and vulnerable side we had not yet seen.
The songs themselves were familiar to those who have been around, studied, or have been forced to listen to musicals, and thus allowed Bowers to play around vocally, tweaking things with confidence. By choosing this market, in terms of possibly accessing a wider audience of non-theatre aficionados, Sarahtonin may have limited itself in terms of the “girlies who get it” – but it still possesses an endearing charm in its structure.
A lovely night out filled with song, soul, and plenty of laughs; Sarahtonin is an example of how a little bit of independent cabaret can result in a whole lot of positively induced neurotransmitters.
See our other reviews from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in the link below
Tickets and Practical Info for Sarahtonin at MICF 🎟️
Underground Comedy, Queen Vic Women’s Centre
Season: 26th–29th of March.
Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/sarahtonin/
