Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret Review
8th-12th, 14th-19th, 21st-26th August 2024
Janie Dee is an award-winning actress, singer and musical theatre performer who has enjoyed an accomplished career in film, television, theatre and radio. Some of her many notable credits include working with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Globe Theatre, starring in West End Musicals and performing in the Bath Festival, directed by Sir. Peter Hall. Her own witty one woman show means she is a regular guest at the Crazy Coqs in London so it is no surprise that her latest venture is a new cabaret show.
“Dee exudes charm and warmth, interacting with her audience with a personal touch in this intimate setting”
With such a prestigious career it is no surprise she is drawing a crowd with her Edinburgh show Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret which is playing at the Pleasance Dome during the festival.
Dee exudes charm and warmth, interacting with her audience with a personal touch in this intimate setting. She introduces her supporting artists with great care and love, three hugely talented musicians, a dancer, a singer and later in the show, a special guest singer. She is generous and supportive towards her fellow performers and makes everyone feel at home.
Despite Dee’s relaxed manner there is a clear and very important message in this show. We need to care for our beautiful world and Dee must be applauded for using her status as a performer to promote green issues. She mixes anecdotal material with song and dance, sharing her own moments of realisation which have prompted her to make changes in her life. No longer wearing makeup in the show to avoid purchasing plastic goods is a bold and brave example of making a difference. She also peppers the show with some breathtaking facts, adding impact to the message.
There was an impressive guest performance from fellow festival performer Edie Gray who Dee welcomed to the stage offering her a spot to showcase her wonderful rich and powerful voice. It is always lovely to see such generosity among performers and Gray’s performance was certainly a welcome addition, although it didn’t add much to the theme of the piece.
Despite the positive message and the lovely ambience Dee created, the performance, at times felt under rehearsed. Dee got lines wrong, forgot lyrics, was uncertain on some of the facts, and there were too many moments of hesitation.
Cabaret is the ideal platform for political performance but the show was loosely stitched together and lacked the quality one would expect from such a star of stage and screen.
Stephen Cambridge
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