Mad Women in My Attic!, performed by Monica Salvi, continues at the Just Festival at St John’s Church until 31 August.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★
Set in the gorgeous St John’s Church, this peculiar and fun show is a mixed bag, but an interesting one at that. Monica Salvi plays a woman of questionable mental health, who welcomes us to a psychiatric ward where she takes us on a tour of the mad women of musical theatre. The concept is very good and Salvi is a talented singer, effortlessly tackling a range of material, bringing to life characters from Sweeney Todd, Side Show, Jane Eyre, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sunset Boulevard, among others, each one with an onstage costume change.
One of the strangest highlights is when she asks members of the audience to create a human orchestra and accompany her in a song. She gives them small instruments including bells to jingle and a rumba shaker. The sound at first is chaotic and comical but then, to our collective astonishment, everyone zips into form, once the piano music starts, and finds a lovely rhythm among the madness. Impressive.
There is an over the top S&M skit which seems a little racy for a church, but is still great fun. When Salvi takes a break, she even drinks water from a vase. Salvi is full of surprises. Oddly, her comic timing isn’t as strong as her singing. The interludes between songs often fall flat. Still, her vocal skills and characterisation often make up for it. This is an entertaining if peculiar show, you will definitely enjoy it if you’re a fan of the modern musical theatre canon as Salvi does it great justice in her ‘mad’ interpretations.
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