REVIEW: CLARA CUPCAKES - WHOM — Writing Notes in the Dark

4.5 out of 5 stars

Another one of festival favourite from last year Clara Cupcakes is back! Join her for a party celebrating four years for her in the comedy circuit, where you’ll walk into the cutest gathering of the festival. Balloons, pass the parcel, piñata and more await you in Clara’s burlesque cabaret wonderland.

Clad in a magnificent gown made out of patty pans, the ones you make muffins with, Clara boldly greets her audience with an amusing slightly off key rendition of Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, and while there is plenty of audience participation involved, the hardest question she will ask is “But who are streetlight people anyway?”

Her manic energy and fun vibe is stronger than ever, combined with her self deprecating humour and awkward, loveable story telling, unveiling awkward things in her life or things that have been said to her using classic songs we all know the worlds to, a karaoke machine, and a little red ball bouncing along to the new lyrics of the song she gets you to sing. It’s a bit clownish, a bit slapstick, but every bit the strong vaudevillian, energetic, magnificent burlesque performer she has become known to be.

Compared to her last year’s epic adventure, The Worst, which followed her through octopus and video game form exploring a past break up, this show focuses more on her career journey, how she got here, and the experiences she’s had along the way, revealed through fun games, audience interaction, popping your frustrations, fears and balloons, and even some sneaky feminism and ukulele make an appearance.

Her parents think she’s funny, but that Fawlty Towers is funnier, she really did go on Australia’s Got Talent in 2011 with her hoola hooping, but the producers rang her after she was selected and asked, “What else can you do… oh just hoola hoops?”. To be fair, she taught herself the brilliant skill she displays in her show’s finale from watching YouTube videos, which just proves that if you have the power of Clara’s positivity and the internet, you can do anything.

She threw the entire show out that she had been working on while in Adelaide only a few months ago, but the show that she puts on to Melbourne audiences is one that makes her so happy and proud, and it shows in every single element of her performance, the joy and hard work that has gone on to her throwing ‘the most expensive party at a festival she’s ever put on’. The most fun you will have at the festival, she brings out all the characters that make up whom she is, and shows off everyone of them to the delight and enjoyment of all.

This weekend is the last opportunity for you to catch Clara’s delightful show at The Butterfly Club – get there early and try her signature cocktail, the Clara Cup Shakes, and the show has been selling out! Get your tickets and more info: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2018/shows/whom

This article first appeared at: http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/clara-cupcakes-whom/ on 21 April 2018