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Smoking Quietly With Dusty Limits
Verdict: Drenched in comic naughtiness
London - Battersea Barge - June 03
Dusty Limits - Feelgood stand-up and evocative singing from a master of cabaret drenched in comic naughtiness, powerfully rooted in the decadence of Weimar Berlin.
Dusty Limits is appearing at Edinburgh 03 in The Dusty Limits Hour, and MC-ing The Bongo Club.
Smoking Quietly With Dusty Limits is a group of cabaret performers making regular appearances together at The Battersea Barge. Each the performers is outstanding. All of them work seamlessly together, producing a glorious ensemble evening.
The tall, slender, blond and elegant - in white frilled shirt with tassles - Dusty Limits opens the night with 'Mad About The Boy' (Noel Coward), accompanied by musical director James Michalos on The Barge's Roland R0 150 piano. Later he sings 'I'm Losing My Mind' (Sondheim); a manic version of 'I Will Follow Him'; 'Big Mouth Strikes Again'; 'The Kleptomaniac' (Friedrich Hollander). The theme of the evening is 'Madness'.
Beauty And The Bitch (Katy Darby and piano by Dave Key-Pugh). Katy Darby, fabulous in (very short) red cocktail dress and red high-heeled shoes, sings the magnificently filthy 'Thanks For The Memory' (Darby, Key-Pugh), recalling those on whose faces she has sat. Her performance is hilarious. Dave Key-Pugh sings 'If I Were Gay And You Weren't Dead' (Key-Pugh, Toby Smith).
Damian Kell, splendid in child-molester's turquoise suit, white shirt and cream tie, belts out a definitive version of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' (Freddie Mercury). It's a storming, confident, powerful, sexy version. James Michalos's piano is magnificent. Later he sings 'Still Crazy After All These Years'. Damian Kell delivers a hilarious stand-up set about his character's unusual childhood experiences - and the provenance of the turquoise suit. Later he duets with Dusty Limits in a superb version of Madonna's 'Crazy For You'.
Pretty Sarah-Louise Young appears as deranged American Sammy Mavis Junior, in straitjacket, red wig, and red skirt, to sing 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' (Oklahoma). It's a disturbing and glorious version, with deranged and stunning piano from James Michalos. Sarah-Louise Young delivers Dusty Springfield's 'My Colouring Book' with almost unbearable poignancy. In the same character, she finishes the set with a moving 'Three Times A Lady'. Later she duets with Dusty Limits in an inspiring version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. Between songs, she produces fine stand-up.
Louise Hollamby kicks off with The Muppets' 'Maah-Naah-Maah-Naah', in a funny duet with Damian Kell. By herself she delivers a breathtaking version of 'As If We Never Said Goodbye', her magnificent voice binding its own spells. Astonishing piano from James Michalos. She sings 'I'm Going Slightly Mad', delivering a fine stand-up routine between. Louise Hollamby's voice is remarkable in its purity and its power to evoke the complex emotions suggested by the lyrics.
Louise Hollamby, Damian Kell, Dusty Limits and Sarah-Louise Young sing a funny multi-lingual version of 'It's A Small World', and finale with 'You Could Drive A Person Crazy' (Sondheim). They're joined by Katy Darby for the sensational encore 'Feed The World / Do They Know It's Christmas?' (today's the half-year anniversary of Boxing Day).
What a wonderful evening.
Credits: Performers - Katy Darby, Louise Hollamby, Damian Kell, Dave Key-Pugh, Dusty Limits, Sarah-Louise Young. Musical Director (pianist) - James Michalos. Technical Manager - Jack. Artistic Director Battersea Barge - Peter Lewis.
END
John Park
reviewed 26 June 03 / Battersea Barge
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2009
