Review: It’s up to you Tash York, Tash York at The Rechabite
It’s up to you Tash York, Tash York at Goodwill Club, The Rechabite
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Being enticed down to a small basement could be considered a red flag by some, but when it’s Fringe season, such rooms offer great surprises. While awaiting the start of the show, a QR code made its way around the room, leading to some sort of survey platform with no clear questioning.
As the audience was trying to decipher the link, an introduction to this evening’s performer boomed out with a sweet smoothness, and the star of the show Tash York entered the stage with mic in hand. Clad in a pink one-piece dangled in silver with immaculately painted eyes, she seemed intent on imagination stimulation. To stage left, tapping away at the piano, dressed in equally immaculate makeup and a stylish red suit, was Peppy Smears.
York, from song one, took to making puns that brought her joy from people’s cringes, starting with her surname in a Frank Sinatra classic, ringing out the final note confidently and with a hint of irony. After addressing the elephant in the room by welcoming everyone to the ‘sex dungeon’ and explaining the link we had been given, the first proposition for the show’s direction was put forward. Two options with only slightly altered words were given. This answer chose the next song, with the following questions leading to varying outcomes.
Peppy Smears played their role as both pianist and sidekick with unique flare and without disrespecting the star. Well, maybe a little, but not without love. The two had a dynamic reminiscent of David Letterman and Paul Shaffer, as York showed numerous performance disciplines in between drinks selected from a wheel of fortune—either she or the wheel had quite a fondness for white wine.
From a voice of resonate tones to those ever-infectious puns of hers, which increased in raunchiness as the show progressed, entertainment was abundant. During a heartfelt song about her disdain for children, a radical shift in the song brought a freestyle session flashing by—like that one die-hard hip-hop fan at your work who just can’t fight the urge to rap in the office. Occasional unexpected moments, guaranteed when improv is involved, brought a feeling of rawness and volatility.
A Sunday evening crowd, despite turning up in good numbers on this occasion, can be subdued. York dealt with this by strutting her heels throughout the rows of spectators, right through to the back, out of the spotlight’s sight, as if an extension of the small stage. A few lucky members got to share their thoughts with a vox pop, which provided material for the following songs—turning people’s engagements and cats into dirty jokes.
When an answer finally dictated a costume change, Peppy Smears used a solo piece to bring out their unadulterated flare. Serenading a strong, dominant air conditioner, they interjected the music with comments about their dissatisfaction with what a certain app had to offer for the Melbourne visitor.
Tash returned to the stage dressed much more modestly this time in a long black gown with shags of white. The wheel of fortune drinks game continued, preparing for her next show of the evening, culminating in a game of ‘king’s cup’ involving both red and white wine after she had mocked Peppy’s shandy.
The big finale came in the form of an ever-unravelling nineties medley. Any of the last five or so songs could’ve been worthy finishers, but the hands finally came up, and a note was held just that little bit longer and more dramatically, signalling the real crescendo.
Tash York delivered a highly skilful yet beautifully unrefined show at The Rechabite. While she is certainly not lacking in style, she puts on the perfect show for a basement resembling a sex dungeon. Raw, raunchy, salacious, and unhinged, it had all the qualities of a show that should be on much later than 6 p.m.
AJ MAHAR