Review by Tatum Stafford
From sassy numbers to hilarious stories, Skye Scraper’s debut solo Fringe show was a sell-out for a reason – Skye is a phenomenal performer, storyteller, and all-around entertainer.
Set in the cosy Little Palais tent at the Perth Cultural Centre, Skye starts the show with a bang as she hustles in ‘late’ and starts to tell us the story of her double life, as leggy drag queen Skye Scraper at night, and the persona of ‘Corporate John’ during the day, which Skye felt the need to create to get ahead in the traditional corporate world of accounting.
For the next 60 minutes, the audience were wrapped up in Skye’s hilarious anecdotes and stories about rushing from the office to Fringe gigs, hiding Skye from early colleagues via personal days, and learning the ropes as an early drag performer.
Throw in a fun ‘do it yourself drag dance routine’ process with an appearance from a very eager audience member, and the show really does have something for everyone.
The beauty of this show is in Skye’s exceptional storytelling ability. There were no stumbles, no hesitations, just a clear message and very strong writing to convey this story that I’m sure many can relate to.
Without giving too much away, it had a very sincere and heartfelt ending that encouraged the audience to think about the different roles we all play in our everyday lives, which was a really smart way to wrap up Skye’s story.
Skye is incredibly captivating to watch, and she really made the cosy venue work to her advantage by giving every audience member an excellent vantage point and plenty of nods so everyone felt a part of the night. There were multiple points throughout the show where the ‘theatre kids’ and ‘accounting fans’ were given singular shout-outs, so the diverse range of audience members felt truly ‘accounted’ for.
It’s clear Skye is going places, and I feel very lucky to have caught this fantastic performance in its first run – I’m very hopeful it will be back for future Fringe seasons!
Image Supplied