Brisbane-based artist Bobbie-Jean Henning presents her debut cabaret production to a hometown audience.
The 21st Century has witnessed borders between different genres and mediums collapsing, leading to unique and refreshing fusions. From Rage Against The Machine’s pairing of metal and hip-hop, to Shaun Of The Dead’s placing a romantic comedy within a zombie apocalypse, artists and audiences are branching away from the confines of being segregated to the one genre. The latest piece of art to enrapture audiences is Brisbane artist Bobbie-Jean Henning’s ‘Tales Of A Time Travelling Songstress’ – a sci-fi cabaret filled with uniqueness and heart.
In her debut show, Bobbie-Jean inhabits the character of Kittie, a young American woman born in 1912. One morning, she awakens in her abandoned home in 1937, completely confused and disoriented by her new surroundings. From there, Kittie begins hopping to different decades and locations as soon as she falls asleep – having to suddenly adjust to new surroundings. The one constant in her life is singing, with performing and meeting other performers bringing her joy. Through her songs and monologues, audiences learn of her loves, losses, dreams, and hopes.
For a debut performance, Bobbie-Jean has created a production as strong as her singing voice. Stories involving time-travel can become overly complicated and filled with impenetrable techno-babble, for example ‘Doctor Who’ and its focus on the effects time-travellers have on their destination. ‘Tales…’, however, focuses much more on the personal effect uncontrollable departures have on a person. It provides a very interesting character development narrative, beginning with embracing this new power by letting Kittie go from one hot party to the next, to eventually reeling from the loss of having abandoned people she has developed strong connections with.One of the greatest features of the story is Kittie’s romance with a character she meets named Toby. Without ever seeing him, the audience is painted a vivid picture of the character, and feels how deep an emotional connection the two characters share. One moment which sent shivers throughout this reviewer's body was when Kittie adopts Toby’s cockney accent to sing a verse of the Stephen Sondheim song ‘Being Alive’ from his perspective. It was tender moments like this which made the fictitious story come to life.
Bobbie-Jean Henning doesn’t just explore the darker depths of history, having just as much fun exploring the songs and trends of each decade she visits. Staples of cabaret, such as ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Nature Boy’, set things in motion. Bobbie-Jean appears to have the most fun with a disco medley, complete with dorky dancing and infectious enthusiasm. Also noteworthy was an absolutely defiant performance of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, with Bobbie-Jean’s powerful vocals matching the same roar of the original.
What was most impressive about this show was how professionally produced it was. The songs and story complimented each other beautifully like they belonged together. The performances from both Bobbie-Jean and Benjamin Kiehne on piano are dazzling, while still retaining the emotional depths of the story.
Bobbie-Jean Henning is a master storyteller, with an astonishing voice. If this is her debut production, then she is definitely a future star to keep both eyes on.
★★★★★
