Meow Meow - The Little Mermaid
This ain't no Disney tale under the sea.
Overview
This review is based on the performance of The Little Mermaid at this year's Sydney Festival.
It's hard to imagine a better show this year than Meow Meow's, in which cabaret's international woman of mystery sings about her quest for love while gabbing away like the third member of Ab Fab.
Meow was created by Melissa Gray, one-time law student and graduate of WAAPA. She's appeared in the West End, at Bowie's High Line Festival, and on the ABC in their recent The Divorce. She co-starred in that made-for-TV opera with Katie Miller-Heidke, who has provided songs for The Little Mermaid, as have the likes of Megan Washington and Amanda Palmer.
Meow is joined in The Little Mermaid by Australian actor Chris Ryan, who appears in hi-vis midway through, calling a halt to the show because the building is unstable. There's a clog, and in lieu of a plumber he must get up in there – cue all the requisite jokes.
As a stand-up comedian, Meow has the audience in the palm of her hand from the beginning. The quality of her chat disarms you, making the power and pathos of her voice all the more arresting.
Barry Humphries brought Meow out to Adelaide last year, and it almost felt like an anointment. I'd say she deserves to be better known in her own country if her unknowable-ness wasn't part of the point.
Image: Prudence Upton.
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