Babushka Regifted | Babushka
Presented by Metro Arts and Little Match Productions, ‘Babushka Regifted’ is a cabaret, performed by the three leading ladies of Babushka - Judy Hainworth, Laura Coutts, Alicia Cush - along with the jazz band Jake Bristow and the Baby Cheeses.
What is a better way to go into the holiday season than with an amusing and unique Christmas show? Everyone has a different take on Christmas. However, instead of celebrating a traditional jolly season that people love, this performance team took on an opposite and comedic approach to the theme - what they HATE about Christmas.
I have to admit this is actually my first time seeing a cabaret show despite previously attending countless theatre, music and dance performances, so I was excited to see this Matilda Award-winning cabaret trio. Overall, the performance was well-paced and top-notch and their reimagining of so many popular songs shone in New Benner Theatre.
I particularly liked the way they presented each section fusing the music and storytelling, which was pleasantly smooth and light-hearted. Each chapter of the show featured a musical number - well-known Christmas songs with wittily replaced lyrics accompanied by a range of instruments, and banter between the leading singers. The dialogue and reimagined songs were cleverly written and triggered many LOL moments. A favourite was in their version of ‘Wake me up when December (September) ends’ by Green Day - “Christmas again?! Destroy my will to live?!”
The show was packed by talent. The trio from Babushka not only illustrated their own rich and wide vocal range, but also harmonised beautifully together. The music was further enhanced by various musical instruments throughout, including piano, drums, guitar, cello, flute, and other percussion instruments: triangle, tambourine and glockenspiel. The musicians Jake Bristow and the Baby Cheeses were also excellent. They all bended wonderfully showcasing styles of soft ballad, up-beat rhythm pop, and opera with a range of great musical mashups with a mix of genres featuring songs from ‘The Sugar Plum Fairy’, ‘Angels we have heard on high’, ‘Carol of the Bells’ to songs from The Pogues and Spinal Tap.
While I enjoyed every single moment of the performance, my personal highlight was ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ sung between Judy Hainworth and Jake Bristow, which almost felt like a story you would see in a rom-com. Another favourite moment was the hilarious remake of ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis, to ‘Fruitcake’ performed with synchronised sassy dance movements.
During the show, I found myself giggling and I could hear my fellow audience members laughing and cheering throughout. Yet, underneath all the laughter, Babushka Regifted included a lot of great social commentary. They delved into love, despair, poverty, consent (sitting on Santa’s lap), and particularly feminism. Some memorable quotes include “a woman’s duty should not be stuck in kitchen”, “ovaries should not be stuck in the oven”, singing ‘We Three Queens’ instead of ‘We Three Kings’ following the Star, and singing from the ‘Hyrrs’ (Her) book instead of ‘Hymm’ (Him) book.
The set design by Penny Challen was appealing. From the moment I stepped into the theatre, I saw Christmas lights, presents and Avant calendar decorations across the stage - it was simply aligned with festive energy. The use of the PowerPoint in the background was effective to display related images and lyrics. Additionally, the costumes were ‘sparklingly’ fabulous, and the changes matched each section perfectly.
Another great touch was the audience participation during the show. This included the airing of ‘Christmas Grievances’ and ‘The Worst Christmas Present Ever Received’, which gave the audiences an opportunity to open the massive Advent Calendar to win Babushka merch. Hearing other people’s personal Christmas experiences became a therapeutic interactive game, which worked well in an intimate space, effectively drawing the performers and the audience closer.
If you like a witty, sly sense of humour, or fancy something different this holiday season, then ditch that old boring Christmas party you secretly don’t want to go, get on the naughty list and enjoy this adults-only ‘Anti-Christmas’ cabaret Babushka Regifted.
Brilliant show! I can’t wait to see what this team does next.
