Review - Salvation Amy

Salvation Amy

Melbourne Fringe Festival Hub - Lithuanian Club - South Melbourne

Drawn to Salvation Amy by what is written in the publicity blurb – I was not disappointed.  It has the potential to become a burly, bawdy, darkly funny and sating Cabaret offering.   However on opening night the early parts of Amy Bodossian’s performance lacked confidence and subtlety through, what I assume were, first night nerves mixed with a sense of panic. 

As the evening drew on most of the audience was engaged with, and enjoying Ms. Bodossian’s performance.   I am confident this show will be developing and vastly enrich as I write.  I highly recommend it for its ingredients of courageous performer and writer, excellent supportive musician (David Seedsman) and insightful director (Merophie Carr).    Good recipe, stunning ingredients, what seems to be missing is just a little more time for everything to fully congeal.   

Bodossian’s suggestive, tantalizing and sometimes downright shockingly crude material is in need of a more relaxed and canny presentation.  The outrageously suggestive can be devilishly delightful but needs to be sold with atmosphere, style and confidence.  Certainly the lights were far too bright and stark to begin with - not a shadow to hide in.   If the material is going to strip the performer of social niceties - then the audience is gong to feel stripped and exposed as well.

As courageous entertainer Amy’s songs are rich and gusty and she could fill a much larger venue such as a Spiegeltent.  Her Accompanist David Seedsman fluidly and supportively does ‘beautifully underscore’ Ms. Bodossian’s lovely singing of some pretty wacky but fascinating material.

As a developing writer, poet, singer and entertainer who is able to play with the provocative it would be great if Ms. Bodossian dealt less in reinforcing conventional sexual mores, but rather responded to them with some refreshing feminism – clarify what she is trying to say and in doing so add a dash more irony – and really let it rip.

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whispers)

Footnote:  I am bemused that this year this is not the only show offering ‘a free ticket’ to reviewers as if it were a gift.  Also gifts are the hours spent dwelling on, thinking about and writing on shows.

Second Footnote:  Also unfortunately on the first night of this show there was a glitch at the box office that held six patrons in wait for over 10 minutes, rendering at least three of us late for the beginning of the performance.  Disappointing and disrupting for the performer, I would imagine, as two of us were reviewing.  There seem to be heaps of volunteers about but not enough cohesion.  Funnily I remember feeling much the same thing about this venue at the time of last years Fringe.