BWW Reviews: Adelaide Cabaret Fringe RETAIL THERAPY Sells Out in Adelaide

Reviewed 11th June 2013

Harriet Allcroft came to the attention of Adelaide audiences when she appeared in a show case performance following one of the Adelaide Cabaret Summer Schools run by Matthew Carey and Catherine Campbell, with special guest tutors. She extended this short performance into a full length cabaret show which she titled Barely Legal, having just reached the age of legally being able to drink, among other this. That production received rave reviews, sold out every performance, and was repeated at several festivals.

Now, at nineteen years old, she is back with a new show, Retail Therapy, based on her observations during the four years that she has been working in the retail sector. It was, of course, sold out, like her previous shows. She looks at both sides of the counter in a very funny exposé of both customers and workers, from the very best to the very worSt. Matthew Carey accompanied her at the piano, so she was certainly well supported, and he also added the occasional comment and some vocal harmony lines as well.

Retailing is all about the exchange of goods for cash, so Abba's Money, Money, Money was an appropriate introductory number. First, when you have to shop, you need to go Downtown, with the help of Petula Clarke. Car parking was brought to mind with Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi, and even Doris Day's Que Sera, Sera, Dusty Springfield's Wishin' and Hopin', Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, and Burt Bacharach's I Just Don't know What to Do With Myself, found a place in the song list. It was fascinating to note how many of the songs were written decades before she was born, showing a wide range of musical interests.

Allcroft has an endearing way of starting her very witty linking patter between numbers, then distracting herself into wandering off at a tangent or two, before returning to her original line of thought, which added to the genuineness of her performance, as well as generating a few more laughs. She also has a knack for creating a range of accents to represent the people about whom she talks. Allcroft is petite, and has a very youthful face, so she pokes a little gentle fun at herself along the way, joking that she looks like a twelve year old but, when she sings, she has a powerful voice that belies her stature.

She was ably supported in her performance by Matthew Carey, the most in demand accompanist in Adelaide, and particularly so during June with the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe running. His knowledge and experience in cabaret are massive and his accompaniments are superb and he also adds a little vocal harmony from time to time.

There are some real gems in the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe, and this is one of them.

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