Moonroe’s Happy Hour
Created by Inverted Citizens
Produced by Inverted Citizens (Wellington, New Zealand)
60M | Variety Show
Content Notes: Mature Language, Sexual Content, Abrupt Loud Noise, Nudity, Flashing Lights, Audience Participation
The lady with the crescent moon head, Marilyn Moonroe (Laura Oakley), and her good friend Sonny (Jackson Cordery) welcome you to their variety show. Marilyn sings while Sonny taps out tunes on his electric keyboard. Other characters come and go over the hour, but Marilyn and Sonny are the glue that holds it together. So what’s it really all about? Well, imagine if a burlesque, a cabaret, and a circus act walked into a bar and decided to join forces to put on a show. This might very well be the show that they came up with. And while there isn’t a plot per se, the theme of the show orbits around friendship and acceptance. And of course, along with Marilyn’s crescent-shaped headgear come a lot of lunar and other celestial songs and references.
Oakley and Cordery are both accomplished performers and staged some sensational circus acts. Cordery’s contortionist aerial work in high heels was definitely a highlight. Oakley did amazing things with rings that I could have watched all night.
There was some audience participation, but it was definitely of a very kind and gentle nature. In one burlesque bit, Oakley’s costume was mostly balloons and first row audience members got to pop them with a lit cigarette. As with most audience participation fringe shows, sitting in the back is likely to protect you from being called on, if that’s not your jam.
I admit, when I first saw the show title I was thinking of half-price margaritas and didn’t relate it to the length of a fringe performance. By the end of the show, I and the rest of the opening night audience felt we had spent a very happy hour indeed.
Moonroe’s Happy Hour is playing at LabO until June 24, 2023. Visit ottawafringe.com/fringe/ for the schedule and box office info. Read more reviews at https://apt613.ca/category/festival/fringe/.
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