The Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Quilt Room – Victorian Trade’s HallReviewed on Friday 1 April, 2022
Loud, proud, and unapologetic, Geraldine Quinn is the Spicy Ginger we need to make our waking lives complete.
With her reputation for sharp, observational song-writing and superb delivery of said tunes, Quinn owns the spotlight from start to finish. Drawing on such iconic redheads like Carol Burnett, Rhonda Burchmore, Agnes Moorehead, and Yootha Joyce for guidance, there is no doubt this delicious diva means business.
An award-winning cabaret performer, Quinn is a songwriter, singer, musician, comedian, and actor. (It has to be said that she also makes light of appearing in a certain long-running, super fund commercial as well.) With five solo shows under her belt, Quinn has recorded four albums and made memorable guest appearances on Adam Hills Tonight, RocKwiz, Spicks and Specks, The Comedy Channel, and Upper Middle Bogan to date.
In Broad, Quinn presents a sixty-minute set that takes viewers everywhere. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready to be amazed. Beyond her wild hair and a wardrobe to make Ziggy Stardust green with envy, this is cabaret at its most pure, confessional and liberating. Taking episodes from both her professional and personal journeys, Quinn milks both sides of the coin for maximum comic and therapeutic potential.
Treated like a stepping-stone from her last presentation from 2018, Queen Bitch, it must be said that Quinn lives an eventful life. Like that show’s jam-packed anecdotal approach, Quinn also sprinkles a handful of original musical tributes throughout Broad as well.
One minute she is a rock goddess in the style of Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, or Renee Geyer. Or in the next, Quinn becomes Sondheim’s final muse. Her uncanny knack for handling everything from torch songs to musical comedy is both impressive and jaw-dropping.
Supported by Cameron Thomas on keyboard, Quinn’s banter covers topics far and wide from audition feedback to internet surfing. Hilarious yet relatable, that her stories borrow from real life, gives the overall experience poignant home truth.
Taking life’s lemons and throwing caution to the win, Broad paints a vivid picture of an independent woman’s ability to stand up and be counted. No matter how ridiculous things become.
With its hip, speakeasy vibe, the Quilt Room at Melbourne’s Trades Hall is the perfect venue for her explosive journey on what it means to be the best version of you. Enjoy this biting yet joyous loose cannon up close and personal until Sunday 10 April.