Every year, Belvoir St Theatre seems to do one quasi-musical show to diversify its offering for its subscribers. This year, the musical item takes the form of a cabaret-style performance, with international cabaret star Meow Meow taking centre stage with a performance created by her, for her. 

The start of the show is exciting, with three extremely talented musicians in Mark Jones, Dan Witton and Jethro Woodward engaging in some piano-based tomfoolery which brings Meow Meow onto the stage. Or should I say, which drags Meow Meow onto the stage as the desire to perform escapes her (although the microphone that dangles in front of her suggests otherwise). 

What follows is a smorgasbord of themes, largely centred around a dissection of the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the same name with the original author (played by the sparkling tenor Kanen Breen). This evolves into a discussion of a sort of existential dread, focussed around an elusive second red shoe. 

The best parts of this production are when the performers on stage are given free rein to show off their theatricality. Meow Meow is wonderful in this regard, stunning the audience with presence, charisma and powerful vocals. Breen is a fantastic support, with his rich tenor voice contrasting well to Meow Meow and the two feed off each other nicely. The musicians are also at the top of their game and do well to contribute to the spectacle on stage. 

The challenges of this production lie in the storyline. The themes are quite hard to follow, meaning that it is easy for the audience to get lost in the action on stage as it proves difficult to contextualise. There is very little signposting which contributes to the difficulties. The production feels like it wants to say something but ends up saying not very much at all. 

There are certainly moments that are funny, such as when Meow Meow descends into the audience to steal the bags of audience members however, these feel like moments in isolation rather than contributing to the development of a cohesive plot. The talent is certainly there on stage from everyone involved, but at times, it just doesn’t quite translate here. 

Dann Barber’s set design is whimsical, with a large garbage dump on the side of the stage being the focal point while the choreography (including the constant movement of the pianos) is clever and well-executed. Ultimately, this is a work that shows off the skill of the performers on stage but does not quite have that cohesive substance to it to truly make it shine. With that said, the wonderous talent of Meow Meow and all those supporting her on stage means that for those looking for a whimsical watch, this will certainly be of interest. 

Rating: ★★★

The Red Shoes plays at the Belvoir St Theatre until 9^th November. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: Brett Boardman