Review By Sophia Gilet
This year superstar Gingzilla is performing at the Gold Digger tent in the Pleasure Garden. Walking into a mostly full tent where the energy is buzzing and standing centre stage is a red showman's jacket with sequined tails, you know immediately, you are in for a SHOW. It starts with Gingzilla strutting on stage in a custom made dress and impossibly high heels.
Gingzilla: Live and Loud is a stunning, showstopping mix of old school show tunes with stories, jokes and a lot of humour.
Always a pleasure to watch a performer take such pure joy and delight in everything they do, Gingzilla embodies what it means to embrace yourself. At times hilarious, other times somber and introspective, Gingzilla: Live and Loud is a whirlwind show that takes you to the extremes of human emotion. It is part autobiographical, part showtunes and always entertaining.
The set is simple, the stage hands non-existent and the costumes are stunning. The show is set up so that you get to know Gingzilla from their humble beginnings to WAAPA to moving to New York to heartbreak and beyond.
The lighting and sound technicians are excellent at their craft and while quite visible in the venue, Gingzilla makes them part of the show. The lighting, sound tech and performer work seamlessly together to create an organic feeling show that is happy to change things up as they go.
At times it was obvious that Gingzilla had gone off on a tangent which in this case was endearing thanks to their boundless energy. Other performers may not have been able to pull it off as well, or almost certainly would have lost the audience. Not here. The show must go on and no matter where the audience was taken we always ended up back on track.
Gingzilla is an extravagant over the top lovely lady who manages to bring you into the most intimate moments - no matter were they are or what they are doing you are captivated. From climbing though the audience to getting someone to open their juice you can't take your eyes of this red head.
Never have you heard a 6'5" bearded ginger goddess with a voice like this.
Able to sing with all the smoothness of a crooner, the ability to belt out a tune and at the drop of a hat switch to a lovely gravelly growl that had the audience giggling and laughing all though the night.
While there is a fair bit of audience interaction Gingzilla is big on consent and never oversteps boundaries.
Watch this show. It will hold an appeal for anyone aged 21- 121 as some of the humour and songs may not be easily accessible to a younger audience. Gingzilla captures that old school charm that will have you swooning.
Gingzilla took photos with the audience after the show and the line went round the corner for good reason.
One of this shows main messages is that you have to be you and that just by being fully and completely you, you have the opportunity to be a guiding force for others.
In a time when violence and abuse is still very high for people who identify with gay- a subject bought up briefly in the show and where mental health is a major concern for people who are 'different,' Ginzilla provides hope. Hope that it is ok to be different, not just ok in fact, but that it the most fabulous thing you can do.
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All opinions and thoughts expressed within reviews on Theatre Travels are those of the writer and not of the company at large.