Award-winning drag cabaret Skank Sinatra (drag persona of Jens Radda) returns for her third Adelaide Fringe season, bringing a glitzy Broadway spectacle to Gluttony. 

Oozing charisma and a commanding stage presence, Sinatra would be at home on any Broadway stage. Her brand new show offers a dalliance through an array of musical theatre and Broadway numbers from across the decades (Oklahoma! Cabaret! Evita!), some sung in their original incantation, others reimagined by Radda with delightfully witty lyrics. A scandalous version of ‘A Few of My Favourite Things’ would make Sister Maria blush, and a reimagined diva-fied rendition of Alexander Hamilton brings the song set into the modern era.

Sinatra also threads a tutorial around the Rules of Cabaret throughout the show – helping to break down the fourth wall and bring the audience in on the joke. The addition of piano accompanist Josh Belperio also added not only musical depth, but also provided witty repertoire between the two and a vehicle for Sinatra to enter full diva mode in their interactions. 

Bringing a sense of intimacy to the razzle-dazzle performance, the audience is treated to an endearing insight into Jens’ culturally eclectic background and upbringing, having been raised in South Africa, and with Danish heritage, which is honoured through the evening’s pièce de resistance: a rousing and perfectly executed rendition of Evita’s ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’, sung in impeccable Danish.

Skank Sinatra is a seasoned professional is a triple threat who knows how to captivate an audience. With a stunning voice, she can tickle the ivories and dance up a storm, while flaunting her greatest assets in cheeky costumes. Sinatra is also seriously skilled at the art of audience interaction, delighting an unsuspecting septuagenarian in the front row. 

The show featured an array of glitzy costumes befitting the drag diva that Sinatra is, with the costume change interludes accompanied by recordings of supposed interactions between Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. Some were hard to follow and fell slightly flat, but overall didn’t detract from the night’s enjoyment. 

For an hour of cabaret-meets-musical-theatre delight, don’t miss the final shows this weekend, at the Lark until Sunday 15 March. Tickets available here.

4 Stars

By Emma Crotty