Don’t be fooled by the name. Bike rides and picnics do not feature in the latest cabaret-style showcase from Lashings of Ginger Beer, Oxford’s own Radical Feminist Burlesque Collective. Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, Lashings’ goal is to entertain and challenge the audience through song, dance and stand-up comedy.
The sunny personas adopted by the performers mask their politically charged intentions to bring about greater awareness and tolerance through an enjoyable art form. Good intentions abound, and a parody of a number from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Musical! makes a witty and poignant comment about the treatment of gay and lesbian characters in mainstream media, namely their alarming tendency to end up very quickly dead or mad.
One is left to presume the opening tune ‘You’re the Top’, sung by Sebastienne, the most seasoned cabaret performer of the troupe, is thoroughly tongue-in-cheek, descending quickly into imaginative and amusing parody of sado-masochistic preconceptions one may hold about lesbianism. Lyrics including ‘You’re like animal testing/ baby, stop protesting/ I’m your guinea pig’ and a generous smattering of allusions to popular culture, from Mickey Mouse to Professor Snape, draw the audience’s attention to the evident humour, optimism and intelligence of the troupe. Although entertaining and of admirable sentiment, there is a vocal tendency of the lead performers to stray off key in favour of enthusiastic physicality. It’s one thing to have your heart in the right place, but having your voice in the right key is just as important in so intimate a venue as those in which Lashings strut their stuff.
The exposive and explosive go hand in hand in Lashings’ showcase, and transgender comedienne Sally’s standup routine is courageous and original in its content. Sally, like every member of Lashings, does not look vulnerable onstage, instead supported by the energy and attention of her co-performers. The intimacy of her transgender standup segment offers a welcome contrast to the brassy, burlesque musical sequences.
Just as Lashings seeks to challenge the misconception of feminism as a strictly po-faced, militant pursuit, the group should show some caution as to reinforcing another stereotype of kinky, carefree, hedonism. Their desire to give a fresh, reassuring and confident voice to often misaligned and taboo LGBTQ subjects in an entertaining way is commendable, and one hopes an open-minded and receptive audience will appreciate the exuberance and warmth of Lashings of Ginger Beer. With six shows under their belt, performances at St. Hilda’s Queer Cabaret and LGBT Soc’s 40th Anniversary Ball, Lashings’ ambition to appear at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is very likely to be realised.
Verdict: Not for the faint hearted.
