Wine time

These Things Take Wine (Natasha York)

Studio Theatre and Café

August 22 – 24

One of the best things about cabaret is its flexibility. A show can either embrace a narrative or not tell a tale at all. Some of the best cabaret productions are the ones that nod courteously at a concept, and then embellish unabashedly and Natasha York’s one woman show and ode to the dependable lady-petrol liquid resource, “When Things Take Wine” is a wonderful example of this.

Ably accompanied by Daniele Buatti on piano, York tells of her move to from Bris-city to Melbourne, where ladies lunch and people wear hats, taking audiences through her tales of misadventure, decisions made under the influence and relationships with musical theatre boys. The result is a show of light and shade, from frivolous flirtation to fleeting moments of melancholy and morning-after Maccas longings.

Musically, the show delivers. There are song choices to appeal to every taste, including Amy WINEhouse (of course), Cyndi Lauper and Michael Jackson. In many instances, York presents her own take on these, such as a slowed-down ‘I’m Still Standing (after all this wine)’. And her powerhouse voice simply shines in more soulful numbers such as ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Proud Mary’.

Morningside’s Studio Theatre is the perfect venue for the intimate wine time examination, allowing for supportive audience participation as complement to her self-deprecating revelations (“I’m an Aries, I like wine and I’m afraid of cats” she shares). York is a self-confessed wine enthusiast; the more wine she drinks the more enthusiastic she becomes. And “These Things Take Wine” is certainly an enthusiastic show, complete with puns, banjo busking, balloon animal tricks, power tools and even some spanking. It is a warm and funny cabaret experience that is delightfully madcap and guaranteed to leave you feeling pretty great.