Ca Va?

Disclaimer: I’ve sponsored this show as part of The Bump In Project. I have not however, been involved at any stage of this production or been privy to more than a description of what the show was going to be.

There’s also probably some spoilers…

Ca Va? Vulgar, brass with just a little sass is Joanne O’Callaghan’s latest show to hit Melbourne; she’s previously come with her comedic take on op shops. This time around she’s brought a French waitress cabaret, and it’s a lot of fun.

Despite my background, I’ve never actually been to the Butterfly Club in South Melbourne… and for those who don’t know, it’s a small space of about 40 seats, and a stage of roughly 3 metres wide by 1.5 metres. Down a side hallway there is a box office, and upstairs a bar.

Tonight was opening night, and at first, it showed. O’Callaghan walks into the space, dressed up in fishnet stockings, black skirt and top, black wig, and belts out the start of a song. The piano accompaniment is loud in such a small venue, and O’Callaghan was easily drowned out; however, a minor setback as she warmed up after the first song or two, and actually finished the show being much louder than the piano.

This cabaret is a mixture of stories and music, with tales of love, workplace issues and life in France, all done with an impeccably thick French accent and, as the title says: “just a little sass”.

Although the audience was only half full, they were lapping up the jokes… it was clear a number of them were friends of the performer, but I too was laughing (out loud, which is rare for me) at the jokes, the expressions and Elaine’s (O’Callaghan’s character) quirks. I imagine that if she had a full house the performance would have quite literally raised the roof.

O’Callaghan’s expressions and characterisations are at the same time over the top and realistic, and just when you think she’s playing a caricature, she settles in for a few moments of raw emotion. This isn’t to say that she acts unevenly: rather she mixes it all up to make a character that is three dimensional.

I’ve never seen O’Callaghan perform before and I don’t know anything about music. But I know what I like, and I know a bit about breath and strength of voice when it comes to acting and singing. The entire show, I never heard O’Callaghan drop her heavy French accent once; not even during song. At the end of the show, I wanted more music, it was a delight to listen to: more to the point, O’Callaghan’s songs ranged from the manically funny to the poignant and melancholic, and her acting matched the range with apparent ease.

Accompanying her on piano was Cameron Thomas, who played well. I don’t know bad piano from good really, but it sounded good to me :)

Anyway, my only real comment about him was that O’Callaghan would fix her hair and makeup occasionally by looking over the piano at the stage right wall, where a mirror was affixed. It seemed a bit odd to me that she never really interacted with him, and I think a nice little addition to the show would be some small improvised or scripted moment, or acknowledgement of Thomas. Personally, I watch every little thing on stage, even the people who aren’t supposed to be noticed, and it just felt like there was potential for some great interaction and inclusion there.

While we’re here: One thing that did bug me a bit was the constant fiddling with the wig. I wondered why she didn’t attach it better, but at the end of the show it became quite clear: she removes it entirely. On the other hand, it was absolutely hilarious when in one scene she had been rolling around on the floor, and when she came back up, it wasn’t on properly; she had perfect timing in fixing it right in the middle of a very dramatic pause, making the suspense of her story even stronger and the comedy even funnier.

Lighting design was a bit here and there. The space packs more lights into it than I’ve seen in similar sized venues at Fringe hubs (festival run spaces), with red- and pink-coloured pinspots for back lighting and open white parcans as front wash/specials. At first when a chase is created during one of the songs, I thought it odd, but actually it fit the mood and intensification of the emotion of the character. What was ‘here and there’ about it was that the lighting was a little too noticeable for me – and yes, that’s a nitpicker right there. Nobody in the audience would have noticed it, and other similar slightly off things about the lighting operation, so I’m putting it down to opening night corners to polish off. The biggest problem for lighting was O’Callaghan’s blocking.

With a piano facing towards centre stage, and it taking up the third of the stage that is off prompt, O’Callaghan subconsciously stood much of the time in the centre of what was left over. However, the lighting being fixed and the centre stage spotlight aiming… well, centre stage, she didn’t compensate for this, and spent some of her time just outside of the light. While it wasn’t enough to be really annoying (in a small space like that, being dim is not necessarily the same as being hard to see), it carried over to her second last song, most of which her body was in the light and her head really wasn’t. Disappointing, as the final song is quite touching and emotional, and I really wanted to see more of her face and eyes. Having said all of that, a slight correction in blocking will easily rectify the issue for future performances.

On walking out of the theatre, I almost wanted a little more from the scripting. While the stories and songs fit with ‘Elaine’ perfectly, it is clear that they were strung together like beads on a necklace. The beads (songs/stories) work well, but the string isn’t exactly straight, and it wasn’t quite clear to me where the show was going or how it got there. A straight storyline it wasn’t… however, I’m not sure it mattered in the end. While I couldn’t quite tell you the plot from start to finish, it’s not entirely necessary to have a plot in the traditional sense. Like ‘Elaine’, O’Callaghan’s scripting is a hodgepodge of manic and wistful, playful and angry, romantic and muddled. Ultimately I walked away entertained and fulfilled.

O’Callaghan has three great qualities: her eyes are fascinating, like watching a flame dance around the room as she interacts with everyone and everything. Her voice: I hope she records some of her songs and sells them on CD. Lastly, her improvisational skills. It was like watching Lano and Woodley: you realise afterwards that certain improv is rehearsed and the straight lines scripted, but her character was so strong and all of it was done with so little effort, you really felt like the lines were done just for us.

For those who’ve read my review of Sleeping Beauty from earlier this year, this is what I wanted that show to be. Despite the few quibbles I had with Ca Va?, most of it was small and mainly due to opening night issues. My favourite parts were the ‘roundabout in Paris’ (say with French accent… Par-ree), O’Callaghan’s physical depiction of a chef who doesn’t want to give her aioli, the story about the salmon, and the final song in character. … Oh yeah, and the bit where she sings about love to an audience member!

For a fun night full of laughs, check out Ca Va?, running until 11th October. You can also catch Joanne’s op shop tours during the Fringe. More about Ca Va? can be found at www.thepromptcopy.com/ca-va