As soon as you entered “The Vault” at Caz Reitop’s Dirty Secrets, it was apparent which time period this show would concentrate on. Posters of Wham, Christian Slater and Madonna decorated the walls along with a selection of dolls and stuffed toys around the stage. Welcome to the childhood and teenage years of Nicky Talacko.
The show began with a bang. A re-enactment of an explosive exchange between Nicky and her mother preceded a number of stories from her life including all the trials and tribulations of growing up. She included the titular theme of Cinderella to explore the fact that real life is not all fairytale endings. A bookending story about her relationship with her niece tied things together nicely with the dilemma of whether or not to perpetuate the princess myth.
Embarrassing stories about her family and school lives made up the bulk of the show that every female in the audience could instantly relate to. With a bit of mental manipulation, the blokes in the crowd could easily do their own tweaking to make the stories relevant to their lives as well. These hilarious tales were a hoot whether you were giggling at the ridiculousness of the situation or laughing along with embarrassed recognition. There were some inventive set pieces where the use of simple props allowed her to play out scenes with a sense of fun which blurred the lines between confessional tale and a fantasy world.
Nicky was a very animated performer with brilliant characterisations of the people in her tales, all their exaggerated gestures and voices played out to the extreme. She wasn’t afraid to make fun of herself with equally over the top portrayals of her childhood/teen self. When not playing the part of others her stage persona was very down to earth whilst being rather vulnerable at the same time. Her storytelling skills were well honed and she kept the laughs coming in a steady stream.
A nostalgic selection of music was used to provide the 1980s soundtrack to the action and accompanying simple lighting cues set up the scenes perfectly. Liberal pop culture references of the time in addition to current ones illustrated her changing with time as the largely chronological show progressed.
Cinder-effin-rella is a brilliant show that comes across as a hybrid of comedic theatre and confessional stand up. A perfect show to bring out your inner princess, no matter what your gender.
Visit the comedy festival website for bookings and further details