#FirstWorldWhiteGirls – cabaret style

With an almost sold-out season, Judy Hainsworth and Kaitlin Oliver Parker’s duo cabaret #FirstWorldWhiteGirls is hash-tagging its way into the Brisbane cabaret scene.

With witty repartee, polished voices, and tongue firmly in cheek, these girls tell it like it is as a privileged white girl with a private-school education. Highlighting our time-poor, entitled, social media addicted lives, this is a very relatable cabaret that even the non-music theatre type can enjoy. Like forgetting computer passwords, unwanted iTune updates, or electric blankets that get too hot, these are the girl’s most favourite things to whine about.

Garbed in floral dresses, pumps, and pearls, Kaitlin Oliver Parker’s dry ‘straight-man’ sense of humour perfectly balances Judy Hainsworth’s effervescent Miss have-a-chat (or is that have-a-whinge) character. Their singing voices also blended well and both girls were able to showcase the versatility of their voices, covering a range of musical styles. Extra credit goes to Hainsworth’s for the clever lyrics in her original songs, with tunes arranged by the uber-talented James Dobinson, and sound design by Richard Parker.

The show also has the obligatory audience participation, but it was a more like a therapeutic anonymous confessional, as we wrote down our own first world problems to be shared by the girls onstage. This was a particularly hilarious segment as we all laughed and related to the annoying trivialities of life – like not having matching bra and panty sets for every outfit… I know right?!.

Other favourite segments was the helpful hints in clothes re-tagging – the practice of wearing clothes once and re-tagging to take back to the store. This came complete with an in-theatre demonstration of a tagging gun on some poor audience member who now probably has to go to a store with a good excuse to get his shirt un-tagged. #akward.

Directed by Cienda McNamara, #FirstWorldWhiteGirls is a well structured cabaret mixing comedy skits, original songs, random life lessons, and talented performers to offer a most enjoyable stress free show (except for the fact that I wasn’t wearing matching underwear with my totally rockin’ outfit).

To keep up to date with the problems of the #FirstWorldWhiteGirls, check out their facebook page:  facebook.com/firstworldwhitegirls.

#FirstWorldWhiteGirls has been supported by the Judith Wright Centre’s Fresh Ground program made possible through Arts Queensland.