By Lisa Clark
Words eh? You can go through life thinking your hat is red and then one day your friend will say it’s pink and you start to question your ability to discern colour and it may escalate to the point that you never speak to each other again. Sometimes you can’t finish a sentence because you can be so caught up in the anxiety of how it may be perceived. Jude has written a complex cabaret show about her life’s trade which is exploring and playing with words and ideas.
Jude Perl is one of the most talented cabaret artists in the country. Last year she created and performed a musical called Share House: The Musical with a cast of five that was one of the funniest, and most endearing productions about depression I’ve ever seen. You could watch it as a wacky comedy show about a share house and friendship or be moved on a completely different level by the searing allegory and enjoy it for that as well.
This year’s show is about the unspeakable, the inability to say certain words or express your beliefs in case they are misinterpreted, confused or angrily rejected. It’s also about all the words that stay in your mind (ad jingles and bad song lyrics) when it could be full of more useful stuff that might actually help you get through life, but you have no choice. It is framed by an in-depth celebrity type interview with a disembodied voice called Anabel Cramp. Jude tells funny stories about life at band camp and as a wedding musician and in therapy with Dr Haddish.
A lot of Jude’s humour relies on the audience being familiar with popular culture such as pop songs and television. The funniest song in the show is about a guilty pleasure; a trashy unloved 90s sitcom she enjoys while everyone else bangs on about Friends. She knows it’s an unpopular point of view and puts her case that both shows have characters with bad behaviour and questionable values, but that her favoured show explores and deals with them better than Friends. Sometimes it feels so confusing that such a huge amount of people can love something that you just cannot agree with.
Jude Perl tries to finish a sentence is a comic play with fabulous songs. The songs are gorgeous, funny and moving. She plays them all on a grand piano and the vibe of the show is very intimate, off Broadway in the classy surrounds of The Arts Centre, albeit hidden down in the bowels away from the main theatres. It’s definitely worth venturing into the deep with the amazing soon to be superstar Jude Perl.
Note: Jude Perl is on at a new theatre space at the Arts Centre on the third floor which turns out to be down below the Arts centre, that you need a lift to get down to. Be aware that at the end of the show you will be herded up 3 flights of back stairs to the street. Let the usher know if you have difficulties climbing stairs.
Jude Perl tries to finish a sentence is on at the Arts Centre til April 20.
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/jude-perl-tries-to-finish-a-sentence/