Who doesn't love a bit of pop a cappella? Sure it's kind of dorky, but if you're harbouring deep-seated resentment for people who enjoy clever vocal harmonies, you might be a joyless prick. On the 'music to freak to' scale, however, it's lodged somewhere between celebrity Christmas albums and Alt-Christian rock. We doubt anyone's ever been laid over it, and Ginger & Tonic are looking to change that.
Meet Jane Patterson, Laura 'Burzie' Burzacott, Stefanie 'call me Fanny' Jones and Danielle O'Malley, four very different women with the same problem: they are Desperate And Dateless. Despite trying everything from Tinder to clubbing to abandoning all standards to actually going on dates Ginger & Tonic are either pushing or past 30 and flying solo. Having exhausted all usual avenues, they've decided to go off map and draw in some prospects with an all-singing, all-dancing burlesque show. And we kind off wish they'd gone a little further.
They come out of the wings and start with Wishin' And Hopin', which gains more than a hint of sarcasm as the verses roll out. The quartet are spectacular vocalists. Like any good a cappella group they leave you agog at the range and depth of sound they can produce between them and their harmonies are flawless. As far as laughs go, however, Ginger & Tonic have banked hard into the deeply vanilla.
That's not a problem in and of itself, but the show seems to constantly skirt more dangerous ground and it becomes increasingly frustrating to watch them ramp up to and then avoid it. Especially since G&T are at their best when things get a bit weird. Man-eater O'Malley has a standing 'Yes' policy. No one's off the table, from the married to the uncomfortably hairy. Given the potential of those parameters it's disappointing that her declaration of one caveat leads into a rendition of Blame It On The Boogie restyled as Blame It On The Booger.
O'Malley's significant change of heart during Peggy Lee’s Fever (now called Beaver), and how it changes her entire interaction with the audience shows that these are performers that are much more capable. Their vocal aerobics are top-notch, and there are definite highlights — a quick round of The Dating Game with an unsuspecting ticket holder, Burzie's ex obsession and genuinely mad eyes, the double header finale of a very stalkerish take on Beyonce's Halo and an extremely eager Call Me Maybe. Just fewer than there should be.
Ginger and Tonic presents Desperate And Dateless, til 9 Apr at Malthouse Theatre, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
