MILEY, MOON UNIT & ME
IVY BAR, 49 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington
13/03/2018 - 17/03/2018
NZ Fringe Festival 2018 [reviewing supported by WCC]
Production Details
From Frank Zappa to Billy Ray Cyrus, Amy Winehouse to Eva Cassidy, dads and daughters in the spotlight have long been the subject of scrutiny and celebration – and are responsible for their fair share of dad jokes.
With various seasons within Australia, in this original work, actor and vocalist Tegan Jones takes audiences on a journey of the relationships between fathers and their daughters, focusing on female vocalists and the fathers who inspired them to sing. Tegan intertwines her own stories about her father’s influence on her musical journey with those of famous singers. Some stories will surprise you, some will make you cringe in recognition and most of them will make you want to hug your father really, really tightly.
Ivy Bar and Cabaret, 49 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington
Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 March 2018
7:30pm – 8:30pm
Fringe Addict $15
General Admission $20
BOOKINGS
Theatre , Solo , Musical ,
1 hr
Evocative and richly imagined
Review by Donna Banicevich Gera 14th Mar 2018
Miley, Moon Unit & Me opened last night at the Ivy Bar & Cabaret in Cuba St as part of the Wellington NZ Fringe Arts Festival. Direct from Melbourne this original show is written and performed by Tegan Jones, with arrangement and accompaniment by Hana Zreikat, and technical operations and stage management by Justin Hayes.
This is a small intimate show in a small intimate venue that traces the relationships between fathers and their daughters. Through music it also focuses on key female vocalists and their relationships with their fathers. These fathers, it seems, have provided back story for wonderful song development and inspiration to the singing stars we all know, past and present.
Throughout this show there is a wonderful depth of performance over a range of different musical styles. It achieves a complexity in the effects of family bonding. The production is densely layered with research but told in an evocative and richly imagined way, combining original songs and musical arrangements.
Story telling though is at its heart; beautiful storytelling that provides a wonderful evening’s entertainment. It is so engaging it brings one’s own memories to the forefront of your mind.
Jones cleverly demonstrates the endless possibilities of musical theatre and the capacity to create something genuinely fresh and new. At one stage the audience is privy to 29 different songs performed in ten minutes. Wow. For me it is the highlight of the show.
Everyone is intrigued. It’s like being witness to a soft slow memory massage in a feel-good wholesome kind of way. If you’ve ever been ‘Daddy’s girl’ this performance will make an impact; this is a performance for you.
That said though – there were men in the audience. Did they like it? Yes they did.
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