Meow Meow's The Red Shoes by Black Swan State Theatre Company

Meow Meow's The Red Shoes by Black Swan State Theatre Company
Photo Credit: Brett Boardman

On a mild summer’s night, my partner and I headed into Perth to check out Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes at His Majesty’s Theatre, presented by Black Swan State Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre & Belvoir St Theatre. The stage set consisting of a large trash heap on the left side of the stage and otherwise empty space was a striking contrast to the opulence of the theatre itself. Having come to the show with a vague memory of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale and little else, I was intrigued about where Meow Meow would be taking us in the next hour and a half.

Once the last few latecomers had finally trickled in to the packed theatre and the show began, it was clear that we were not about to get a traditionally conservative take on The Red Shoes. With pianos gracefully gliding onto the set followed by Meow Meow being literally dragged on stage, we started with a mix of the graceful and the garish, and things only got weirder from then on, to the delight of the audience, who were obviously there to see the powerhouse Meow Meow do her thing.

Meow Meow is definitely a force of nature up there under the lights, and her monologues between musical numbers are both mesmerising and as mercurial as a dancer’s twinkling toes. At one point Meow Meow advises the audience to “look it up on Google”, and to be honest some of the time I did feel the distinct whoosh as a number of quickfire musings went over my head. But still, there were plenty of other moments which went right to the heart.

Meow Meow is of course the star of the show, but she is ably backed up by her trio of musicians (Mark Jones, Dan Witton, and Musical Director & Sound Designer Jethro Woodward), who give her both musical and physical support. Kanen Breen also provides a multiple of supporting roles and lends his operatic tenor to the proceedings in grand fashion. The duet of “El Amor” between Meow Meow and Kanen was the highlight of the show for me, with their amazing voices complemented by their languid circling of the stage on the rolling framework.

Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes is cabaret at its most dangerous – off the rails and free to take you anywhere without warning. But judging from the enthusiastic applause from the full house crowd, it’s a journey worth taking. 

Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes is on at His Majesty’s Theatre until the 1st March.

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