Review: Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret At The Wales Millennium Centre
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Fun, exciting, brilliant - and that’s just Janie! Beautiful World Cabaret struck the perfect balance between being thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining.
Being a cabaret, this show was located in the smaller, more intimate Cabaret space at the Wales Millennium Centre. With its low lighting and close seating, it felt unlike anywhere else in Cardiff, almost giving the impression of a nightclub. The small space allowed for a personable atmosphere, something Janie Dee leaned into perfectly throughout her performance, constantly breaking the fourth wall.
Dee herself was nothing short of fabulous. Charming and witty, she entered to a thunderous applause, she dazzled with her singing and spoken word performances. With a beautiful voice, Dee enchanted her audience every time she spoke.
Outside of her performances, Dee’s crowd work was great too. Finishing up her first song, she asked her audience what the best part of cabaret was, answering that it meant that no-one knew what would happen, and she went up and spoke to a man on the front row. Every time she spoke to someone in the audience, she was engaging and played to the room excellently.
A highlight of the show was Dee’s performance of the sultry song, ‘Fever’ which she snapped to with the piano in the background. A song she cleverly intertwined with some of her social messaging.
Placing a unique twist on the traditional cabaret, Dee focused on the theme of environmentalism, emphasising how we are hurting the planet. Speaking out against the use of plastic, Dee put her money where her mouth was, and told her audience how she was not wearing make-up, asking if anyone cared and receiving an almost resounding no.
Sharing stories about other people’s works, Dee taught us the work of Boyan Slat, the Dutch CEO of ‘The Ocean Cleanup’ organisation, whose aim is to reduce plastic from oceans and rivers.
She also shared personal stories, referring to a time she was in Beijing, China when she was on tour, playing Titania in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, and how she could not see her hand because of the smog. Having brought her 10-year-old son, it made her question what they were doing to the planet.
Eventually, her environmentalism led her into creating ‘Beautiful World Cabarets’ in which different artists would reflect on where nature is in their lives and what it does for them.
Dee wasn’t the only environmentalist performer, as she brought onto stage the talented Griff Rhys Jones. Rhys Jones, who had previously presented for the documentary ‘Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones’ explained to the audience the dangers of pollution within rivers. After his story, Dee and Rhys Jones dazzled the audience with their duet of the classic, ‘Moon River’, where their voices complimented each other perfectly.
A thought-provoking, and exciting show, the audience really did not know what to expect next from Dee, allowing for a great eco-conscious Cabaret.
Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret is a must-see that won’t just entertain, but inspire.
