Britney Spears – The Cabaret

Local musical theatre knockout Christie Whelan, lately of the MTC's The Drowsy Chaperone and The Importance Of Being Earnest, has revived her successful Britney Spears – The Cabaret, written and directed by Dean Bryant and arranged by Mathew Frank, first performed at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, and now playing for Midsumma at Chapel off Chapel.

The show kicks off with the opening chords of '...Baby One More Time' being played, surprisingly incongruously, on a grand piano (by “court-appointed pianist” Frank), with the premise that Britney has decided to take on cabaret singing as the next feather in her slightly ratty newsboy cap.

More satire than tribute, the show kicks the stuffing out of Brit Brit for our amusement, while pointing out just how sad and brutal fame has been to Mz Spears. Aside from Britney's songs, the show is constructed largely of satirical references to and descriptions of most of Britney's most embarrassing moments. Despite its merciless name-checking of every dumb thing the blonde has done in the last decade, the show is actually very sympathetic to Britney – though probably not in any way she would thank them for – with as much to say about the music industry's star mill as it does about being pretty, daft and successful on the shoulders of others.

Whelan comically overacts Britney to a tee, all giant eyes and hair-chewing sincerity. Though the two don't share any especial resemblance beyond blonde hair and the ability to dance (I will exclude the ability to sing, since Britney sorta can't), Whelan's knack with a southern drawl and a trucker hat is more than enough to remind us who we're here to mock. The songs are twisted and fun, and sung rather better than Britney does herself, particularly the superfast waltz version of ‘Circus’ that opens the piece.

While this is most definitely a comedy, albeit a black one, it's surprising just how depressing many of Britney's songs are when sung just a little slower – in particular, a surprisingly heart-rending version of '...Baby One More Time'. While Spears doesn't do much of her own writing, she certainly chooses songs with an autobiographical bent.

Miss American Dream herself, Britney Spears is both a source of endless ridiculous tabloid antics, and a cautionary tale about the corrosive effect fame can have on a person's sense of self. This show is an excellent distillation of both those sides of Britney, and corking good fun into the bargain.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (including half a star just for the rapping in 'Me Against The Music')

The Harbour Agency & Luckiest Productions presents
Britney Spears – The Cabaret
Director: Dean Bryant
Musical arrangements: Mathew Frank
Performed by Christie Whelan and Mathew Frank

Chapel Off Chapel as part of Midsumma
January 18–February 3, 2012
Bookings: chapeloffchapel.com.au