Desperate & Dateless with Ginger and Tonic | De Parel Spiegeltent | Until Feb 21 | ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The irony of seeing a show called Desperate & Dateless desperate and dateless was not lost on me. And it wasn’t for lack of trying! It just seems that out of the dozen people I asked to be my +1 at the last minute, it was either the case Tuesday night was family night (family always comes first, I sullenly replied), or it was too hot (fair enough…) or their phones were switched off (oh c’mon!).
I did think about asking some random hot stranger if they wanted to be my +1, but the boy outside The Moon with the amazing legs was just way too handsome and therefore intimidating to ask. Sigh! So, feeling terribly dejected, alone and somewhat miserable, I begrudgingly sat down in De Parel Spiegeltent to watch Ginger & Tonic do their thing.
And then something marvelous happened…I had the time of my life! Well, more than that, I was the patsy who got pulled up on stage for their dating game (NB to avoid being the subject of humiliating audience interaction, DO NOT smile and laugh cutely at the girl who actually intimidates you because she reminds you of the stern PE teacher you had in high school, y’know, the one who always got you up in front of the class to humiliate you…oh, wait…). So, as red as the passion running through the veins of these four lustful women, I took part in the #datearet game (it’s cabaret dating style…I don’t have a clue if I spelt it right) and guess what…I walked away scoring a gift bag and dates with two of the troupe members from Ginger & Tonic.
Unfortunately, one of them then came out as a lesbian. But still…I got a date. With a girl. Whose special talent is she can’t dance. Oh well…at least I can make sure she wears a super cute dress.
And hey…I won a showbag!
But on to the show: Desperate & Dateless is a sophisticated, raucous take on modern dating done by an all-girl acapella group who have sublime comedic timing and brilliant voices to boot. Their originals are my personal highlight of the show, with Shake It loosening up the audience no end. That said, their ingenious subverted covers are rather hilarious too. Damn it…everything these girls did was just pure gold.
The moments that did stick and shine were their witty bits of banter. Here, their chemistry was electric, even if at times it was apparent that it was a bit of shtick. But shtick it to the audience they did, with covers of Jackon Five’s Blame it on the Boogy as Blame it on the Booger and Rhianna’s Umbrella as Tinderella proving most delightful. Their wanton need to get a date saw them channel their inner stalkers to great effect, and we all know that there is nothing more compelling to watch than when a woman gets her crazy on – and yes, these girls had us all transfixed.
Qualms? None. I think this largely comes from the fact that I was the poor schmuck who got pulled up on stage which, quite frankly, I am thrilled I was: it was exactly what I needed to rattle me out of my mood. I felt loved. Either that or my natural blush just wouldn’t go down for several hours afterward. That’ll teach me to be friendly.
So now the concept of the self-date is something appealing, although to be honest I’ve also got the balls to ask random hot strangers to be my +1 because, y’know, #datearet is actually a thing. I wonder if my inner-stalker will go down as cute with the boy with the hot legs as it did when Ginger & Tonic unleashed theirs last night? Hmmmmm…I might just leave that one to these four delightfully crazy women. Lesson? Screw the date and see this show. Who knows, you might win a showbag!
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
Catch Desperate and Dateless at the De Parel Spiegeltent until February 21st. Tickets available at Fringeworld.com.au.
