From Bombo to Broadway, it’s easy to see why acclaimed cabaret performer Amelia Ryan refuses to subscribe to the ‘struggling artist cliche’’.
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“So I’ve learnt to be resourceful, and work out how I can work smarter, not harder,’’ Ryan said ahead of her one-off gig in Wollongong on Friday.
The first time the Mercury spoke to Ryan, the Bombo-born cabaret queen had just penned and produced her autobiographical one-woman show A Storm in a D Cup.
The show won numerous awards and also enjoyed a sold-out season and standing ovations at the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Last year it enjoyed its UK debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it played to rave reviews.
Her new show Amelia Ryan is Lady Liberty began touring in May 2015. It debuted at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, upon express invitation from Barry Humphries.
The Illawarra performer has been invited to take the show to Edingburgh this year but before then Ryan will perform her show at The Music Lounge in Wollongong on Friday, May 6.
Ryan takes the audience on a quest to transform from ‘’Queen of calamity’’ to ‘’Lady of Liberty’’ through her signature blend of scintillating stories, pop music mash-ups and perfectly pitched parodies with a distinctly feminist edge.
She said her post-modern feminism voice allowed her to bring female-centred ideas and issues to the table, freely and liberally.
“Last century, we needed feminism for, what now seems like, more basic reasons: the right to vote, for family planning, for workplace equality (still working on that one).… now we need it because one in five women experience sexual violence, because women’s bodies remain politicised and scrutinised, because women continue to be underrepresented in every sphere except for being mothers and wives,’’ she said.
“As a comedienne and entertainer, I have the opportunity to give both light and shade to such topics through a lens of humour. People like Tim Minchin and Amy Schumer are great inspirations. They manage to turn what could be hard-hitting topics into material that’s hilarious, punchy and poignant.
“So whether it’s songs about body image or simply giving a voice to the struggles that women in 2016 are facing, it’s about voicing it (or in my case, singing it) with a liberal, brazen attitude. And that’s the essence of Lady Liberty really.’’
Doors open at 7pm. Show tickets available at www.merrigong.com.au
