Venturing deep into the world of fairytales, Babushka are back to present a magical evening of entertainment.
In their latest show ‘Happily Ever After’, the polished cabaret princesses performed a medley of enchanting music mash-ups, which included stories of royals, fictitious lands and magical beings.
Fracturing our favourite tales, Babushka revitalised stories we’ve grown up with –successfully invigorating them with modern and contemporary twists. In ‘Happily Ever After’, every princess was accounted for and they all had something new to say.
Featuring the vocal stylings of Alicia Cush, Judy Hainsworth and Bethan Ellsmore, Babushka has really established a solid reputation for itself. Complete with captivating harmonies and group synchronicity, the cabaret collective was tight, professional and extremely enthralling.
‘Happily Ever After’ follows the same standard of Babushka’s earlier work, ‘Doll’ and ‘I Can Keep A Secret’. The ladies embodied their heroines from head to toe – with precise comical timing, beautiful costumes and engaging acting abilities.
The divas successfully charmed the many townsfolk of Brisbane and proved they are one of the best comedy acts in our Kingdom.
Singing covers from the Eurythmics, Lorde, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Sam the Sham, Kurt Weill and everything in between, the evening was jam-packed with music for all ages. ‘Happily Ever After’ turned classic bedtime stories on their heads and embraced European influences for a night that kept slaying tune after tune.
The group was also accompanied by the incredible pianist, Luke Volker, who was equal in sass and energetic playing for many scene-stealing moments. Babushka’s sound was completed with an accordion, a violin, percussion instruments and even kazoos.
‘Happily Ever After’ was a spectacle that kept on giving. There were props pulled from baskets, petal reveals and some surprise gangster rapping. The show had so many wonderful elements to it – a perfect amount of ingredients had been selected to cast the right spell on audience members.
One magical moment that stood out, was the combination of two unlikely hits - ‘Enter Sandman’ (by Metallica) and ‘Mr Sandman’ (originally performed by The Chordettes) – making for a dark, demented and truly wicked concoction. The group left the audience wanting more; even performing a surprise encore of the apt hit ‘Babooshka’ by Kate Bush.
As Queens of their industry, it was no surprise Babushka would hit the right notes. Their vocal abilities are flawless, their compositions are catchy, and their personalities are just so darn loveable.
From arguably Brisbane’s best cabaret group, ‘Happily Ever After’ is a hit show that needs to be seen.
