Lynden’s Score: 4.5 Walmart Chairs
Nancy and Beth is no ordinary cabaret act. But with these two actors (Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt) fronting the band, did I really expect it to be? Entering the Sydney Opera House, I had no idea what was coming. I did no research and made no attempt to pre-empt what was about to happen. I wanted to just experience it fresh. What followed was a little like listening to Shakespeare. It starts off with ‘what the hell?” and slowly the ear adapts, arrive at the same wavelength and by the end of the night you are on your feet cheering.
On to the stage walks two women in matching tracksuits with their hair pulled up in space buns and proceed to sing while performing strange ‘heightened’ choreography. The choreography either exaggerating the lyrics or was seemingly random to the lyrics and style yet still felt emotionally linked to the lyrics somehow. I am not even going to try and explain it anymore. Just look at the photos and make up your own description. Did I mention the ‘cheap crappy collapsable Walmart chairs’ they flew in to assist with it?
When the banter starts it is deadpan and so soft it is hard to even understand at times. Once the ear drops (and maybe a little increase in, but not much, in energy) the night settled down into a collection of beautifully sung songs by a couple of funny oddballs. They are styled as a ‘punk-vaudeville’ band and are part of the growing contemporary/performance cabaret genre. The songs are old classics mostly and a more divergent range you will never hear. From George Jones’ ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today‘, to Tammy Wynette’s ‘No Charge‘ (with Stephanie Hunt acting and singing as Tammy’s daughter Tina). Rocko’s ‘I Don’t love Her‘ was a stunning example of 
how wide this eclectic collection would range. The quality of Wynona Sweet’s gravelly ‘Please Mr Jailer‘ was a delight. By the end of the night the crowd were on their feet clapping and singing along to the gospel smash ‘Saved‘.
Supporting these two crazily talented performers is a stellar band (Introduced hilariously by a surprise guest), Datri Bean (keyboards, vocals), Joe Berardi (drums), Petra Haden (strings, vocals), Roy Williams (guitar, vocals) and Andrew Pressman (bass, vocals). Petrta Haden (formerly of the indie rock band ‘That Dog’) has an amazing voice and not only banged out a note that Mullally back credited as “the opera note of the evening”, she also joined the two for a goosebumps moment in the encores.
A crazy, strange and rewarding evening. I’ll be back for the next one and am logging on to buy their albums. I can’t stop loving Nancy and Beth.
Photo credit: Prudence Upton
Lynden Jones, Theatre Now and On Sounds
