The show’s title references the astrological phenomenon of the Saturn return, where the transiting Saturn arrives at the same point in the sky that it occupied at the time of a person’s birth. As this occurs every 29.4 years, it’s popularly ‘blamed’ for the upheavals and soul-searching that many people encounter around their 30th birthday.
And oh, there are so many upheavals and soul-searches to be had! Abrahams and MacLeod have put their considerable performance talents to good use, creating some brilliant original songs that lampoon the ‘first world problems’ of those experiencing their quarter-life crisis, and giving amusing insights into the fears of the aging male as they sing about everything from changing metabolisms to romantic insecurities.
There are some genuinely touching moments, particularly when each performer takes the stage as a soloist, backed by live piano and bathed in a melancholy lighting scheme (Abrahams particularly shines with a song comparing his personal confusion to Pluto’s battle for galactic validity). There are also some genuinely disgusting moments – if you don’t like your comedic songs peppered with many, many references to bowel movements, this may not be the show for you. But if you’re a fan of scatological humour, get thee to the Butterfly Club!
But seriously, good cabaret is a unique and beautiful thing. It has an honest quality about it – costumes and characters aren’t an innate requirement, but a willingness to let an audience peer through a window into the soul is vital. Abrahams and MacLeod have shiny suits, plenty of jokes and a talent for writing snappy songs, but they’ve also looked closely at what it means to be approaching the end of our newly prolonged adolescences. (Was Saturn’s return such a big deal when the average age of marriage and reproduction was less than 25?)
In the intimate space of the Butterfly Club, Abrahams and MacLeod offer a charming, very effective cabaret experience that offers an insight into the trials of our modern-day coming of age.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Saturn Returns
Written and Performed by Simon Abrahams and Lachlan MacLeod
The Butterfly Club, South Melbourne
July 3 – 8
