Margo: Half Woman Half Beast – JW3 and Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Margo: Half Woman Half Beast was reviewed at JW3, London. The show will play the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh from 2-18 August 2018.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

With the 100-year anniversary of the Weimar Republic being created only months away, Margo: Half Woman Half Beast brings to life the famous cabaret songs of the day, amongst a backdrop of political unrest, the rise of the new woman, sexual freedom and a crippling German economy.

Within this turmoil setting, Margo: Half Woman Half Beast focuses on the life of Margo Lion, a celebrated Weimar cabaret star and Marlene Dietrich’s once bisexual lover. Fuelled by a life led by alcohol, drugs, jealousy and, of course, the theatre, audiences are offered an insight into the troubled life of Lion, along with the tragic relationships that are entwined with it.

Melinda Hughes, in addition to being the writer, plays Margo in this one-woman show and proves herself to be the perfect woman for the job, if not the only woman for the job. Billed as a ‘satirical diva’, Hughes is a specialist in Weimar Cabaret, which led to the formation of her satirical cabaret group Kiss & Tell, with Jeremy Limb.

Her collaboration with Limb continues in Margo: Half Woman Half Beast, with Limb being the pianist, composer and lyricist for the show. The pair prove themselves, once again, to be a delicious duo. Hughes’ operatic range tied with Limb’s wickedly political lyrics make for three new songs of their own, with the other nine being from the Weimar period itself – all 12 of them packed tidily in this concise 60-minute show.

By trying to tackle multiple different aspects of the Weimar period within such a limited time, the show itself can often appear to be somewhat fragmented and puzzled, although this is rectified by the second half hour being much more coherent and, overall, much tidier.

With Hughes’ musical talents being considerably stronger than her acting, combining the two skills together in numbers such as ‘Monotonous Night’ and ‘Leben Ohne Liebe’ result in strong, emotional performances.

However, equally, these are complemented by more light-hearted, comical moments, specifically in ‘I Am a Vamp’, in which Hughes shares with her music accompanists, provided by Limb on the piano and Robert Rickenberg on the double bass.

Margo: Half Woman Half Beast, although not a theatrical triumph, is by no means a disaster. It is honest, scandalous and just a little bit heart-breaking.

Polly Sisley