Meow Meow's The Red Shoes - Perth Festival

Reviewed by Kate O'Sullivan

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As part of Perth Festival, Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes storms into His Majesty's Theatre and very quickly makes it clear whose night this is.

Meow Meow is the engine, the chaos agent and the emotional core all at once. She begins as a supposedly reluctant performer, hauled onstage and seemingly devoid of inspiration, but it is obvious from the first moments that we are in extremely capable hands. Her voice can slide from smoky intimacy to a belt that rattles the balconies, and she uses it with thrilling abandon. Physically, she’s razor sharp: a raised eyebrow or perfectly timed collapse to the floor can land as strongly as any high note.

What follows feels gloriously out of control, even though it clearly isn’t. Songs are interrupted, stories unravel, audience members are conscripted, and theatrical artifice is exposed only to be revelled in. The production nods to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes, but this is no straightforward retelling. Instead, the fairy tale becomes a loose framework for a cabaret meditation on compulsion, ambition and the toll of always having to perform. It’s messy in the best way, lurching between confession, parody and full-blown spectacle.

Kanen Breen is a superb offsider. He matches Meow Meow’s energy and chaos without ever trying to outshine her, and their duets crackle with playful antagonism. When they lean into harmonies, the blend is lush; when they let rip separately, it becomes something closer to a cabaret showdown.

Behind them, Mark Jones, Dan Witton and Jethro Woodward provide the musical backbone. Their musicianship is formidable, but it never feels showy for its own sake. Whether perched at an upright piano, shifting to guitar, double bass or drums, they contribute to the show’s slightly deranged, speakeasy atmosphere while keeping everything musically tight.

The result is an evening that refuses to sit still. It’s absurd, self-aware and occasionally exhausting, but that seems to be the point. Beneath the glitter, the chaos and the provocation is an artist with extraordinary control over her craft, and a production bold enough to let that control masquerade as mayhem.

Image Credit: Brett Boardman

Reviewer Note: Tickets for this review were provided by Perth Festival