Lyall Brooks and Lulu McClatchy in SuperGirly photograph via SuperGirly.
Charged language, entertaining lyrics, and a character that could be best described as the awkward love-child of Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy; SuperGirly is an absolute delight. Lulu McClatchy has written and stars in an interesting performance that will have the audience laughing throughout as they enjoy raucous and raunchy parodies of pop culture’s greatest hits. There are no holds in this show, nobody is safe – even the audience.
Aided by her manslave “Bradley Cooper” (Lyall Brooks), the performance is a tribute to SuperGirly’s exploits throughout the years. This dynamic duo is charming, intoxicating, and quite honestly ridiculous to watch. SuperGirly covers a number of artists throughout the evening including but not limited to: Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Lorde, One Direction, Britney Spears, and Miley Cyrus. A wide swath of music styles, and taken from various decades gives the audience both young and old something to laugh at. McClatchy is a genius when it comes to generating witty lyrics, and even improvising her interactions with the audience; seeking out and naming various viewers as celebrities like Helen Mirren or Margaret Cho.
The costuming involved in SuperGirly is something to behold in itself as well. Jessie White has done a marvellous job creating beautifully awkward outfits that even Lady Gaga would gush over. Paired with an elaborate set & props – right down to a pillow stating “Ain’t nobody got time for that”, this performance is a true mock reflection of everything in our pop culture today. Combining the technical expertise of Douglas Montgomery, this is a well crafted piece of entertainment for the whole family… except for maybe the kids or prudes. Adult humour, language, and situations are found throughout various points of the night, but are for the most part quite tasteful.
While SuperGirly is rather rough around the edges, the scenes have to be enjoyed for what they are. Sometimes they are simply brilliant, other times they are just so bad it’s good. Audience participation is key in this performance, and audience members should not fear the unknown but rather embrace the chance to partake in the seemingly insane antics taking place on stage. The ability to work with reluctant individual audience members or evoke reactions from the audience as a whole, is a skill that McClatchy has managed to utilise without leaving awkward moments – besides the ones she wants to actually be awkward. This team has been able to bring together a unique experience and does it’s best to deliver something incredible for a wide range of spectators. All-in-all, SuperGirly is totally worth getting the opportunity to see, and hopefully one that many more audiences will enjoy as well.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
SuperGirly: Return of the Pop Princess
Written & Created by: Lulu McClatchy
Lighting Designer, Operator, & Tech Supervisor: Douglas Montgomery
Wardrobe Supervisor & Sound Operator: Jessie White
Starring:
Lulu McClatchy
Lyall Brooks
Presented by: Lab Kelpie & Lulu McClatchy
QUT Gardens Theatre
25-26 August 2016
