[THEATRE REVIEW] LIFE IN PLASTIC @ Chapel Off Chapel Review (2024)
She just may be my favourite entertainer … and with good reason.
Time and again, Christie Whelan Browne has shown me that she is, indeed, the complete package.
Combining humour and pathos, in Life in Plastic she gives and gives and gives of herself, warts and all – the good, the bad and the ugly.
She does so with poise, polish and pizzazz.
Put simply, she is mighty talented.
She can sing. She can act. She can weave stories. And she does all of this with aplomb.
She is bold. She is risqué. She is hilarious. She is authentic. She is intent on keeping it real.
Christie speaks of self-doubt, of tough times, but she readily switches gears and with it has an appreciative audience in stitches with her laugh aloud material.
It is such a well-crafted and well-balanced show that empowers women. Bravo to that.
She covers the whole gamut – from birth to today.
Talk about making an immediate impression.
She takes to the stage in school uniform, struggling to speak clearly because she is wearing head gear, courtesy of getting her teeth aligned.
It is 1996 and this is year 9 at school.
That is but the start of a litany of colourful yarns – yarns that keeping on flowing throughout the hour-long show.
They are interspersed with costume changes, musical anthems, home video footage and stills.
She speaks to Barbie (the doll, that is) and Barbie speaks back. Mind you, at one point she is not afraid to call out Barbie for selling out on the sisterhood.
No topic is off limits.
That includes her love of performance, body confidence or lack thereof, dating disasters and finding true love.
Also on the menu is endometriosis, being sued (three times), difficulty falling pregnant, her IVF journey, falling pregnant and the joys and pitfalls of motherhood.
Along the way, she has high praise for her husband, fellow performer Rohan Browne and their three-year-old son, Duke, whose unbridled positivity is inspirational.
Christie comes across as … well, human, as one of us – flawed and vulnerable, brave and determined.
And that is just what makes her so eminently relatable.
Huge plaudits to the writer and director of the piece, Sheridan Harbridge (a very fine actor in her own right, too), who has done a mighty job with the material.
With musical direction from Glenn Moorhouse and lighting by Trent Suidgeest, Christie is on stage with musician Francesca Li Donni.
I am convinced that the star of the piece is like a fine wine. She just keeps getting better with age. Long be it so.
Life in Plastic is a cabaret show that surprises and delights in equal measure. This is Christie Whelan Browne at her endearing best.
For tickets, go to https://chapeloffchapel.com.au/show/life-in-plastic/ It is on at Chapel Off Chapel until 27th October, 2024.
Review by Alex First. Photography by Angel