Sunday 11 February 2024

Love That For You review (Midsumma Festival)

Anyone who has followed Tash York's career will have witnessed her evolution from a life full of nuggets, wine and desperately seeking happiness to marking out a place for herself in the world and dealing with ageing. In her new show, Love That For You, York has moved on from adulting and on to seeking the values that are true and meaningful in an intrinsic nature. This is of course presented through York's trademark sassy and camp cabaret numbers.

Gracing the stage in gold coloured outfits full of sparkle and some very imposing shoulder pads, York shares anecdotes of life's crossroads where doing what you want to do is more important than what you ought to do, something York has a bounty of experience in. She's in her mid-30s and childless, she's bisexual but married to a man, and she straddles the line between drag and cabaret. So when she sings an amusing song about DINKWACs it serves as a reminder that labels and expectations have ultimately no bearing on securing our own personal happiness.

With all original songs, York further displays her musical and lyrical skills with improvising a song about an audience member that pokes at her crossroads in life in a humourous yet gentle way. York is joined on stage by backing singers and music makers The Red Red Wines (Peppy Smears on keys and Vivian Fontey on violin) who provide witty banter with York that is highly entertaining. Smears and Fontey find many opportunities to flaunt their own comedic (and musical) abilities while ensuring that everything they do is to support York and make her look good.

She may have one of the biggest hair styles in the cabaret and drag scene, but York also has one of the biggest voices, a voice that has plenty to say and sing about with great panache and even greater talent. Love That For You is a dissection on the current chapter of York's journey through life, and just like a fine wine, she and her shows keep getting better and better with time. 

Love That For You was performed between 9 - 10 February at Chapel Off Chapel.

Image credit: Mark Gambino

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