CATHY SPECIFIC and her Trolley Dollies Holly and Molly are at it again with another hilarious mini musical comedy at Gate69. Snip/Tucked holds a mirror up to the world of beauty and self-improvement through any means necessary, and it will strike a chord with everyone.
Whether we – or someone we know – has been under the plastic surgeon’s knife, or simply been on one kind of diet or another at some point of our lives (and let’s face it, who hasn’t?), Snip/Tucked will resonate, as the girls dish out their bitchy one-liners and crack jokes which cut to the truth while veiled in humour. The songs are clever, the choreography is smoother than a botoxed brow, and Cape Town’s favourite flight attendants are on top of their game.
Get your dollies in a row: Cathy is the Amazonian blonde in the middle, the leader of the pack. She is flanked by raven-haired Holly who tries oh so terribly hard not to smile and has a tongue as sharp as a scalpel; and the sweet, darling, ingenous redhead, Molly. A small-town Afrikaans girl, she’s often at the receiving end of Holly’s sting, and so many times during this show I wanted to run up on stage and give her a hug.
Yes, they are all statuesque men in flawless make-up and towering wigs (and oh my word, those legs and buns) but these characters effortlessly seduce you into suspending your disbelief and what they have to say and sing about the relentless pressure to look good – especially on social media – is relevant and relatable.
The costumes are glam with sparkle in all the right places, and there is nowhere to hide in those leggings…plus, anyone who can do what they do in heels like that gets my respect.
So there you are, sitting in your first class seat, gazing up at these beauties, when the show arrives at its zenith which strips away the veneer and delivers a powerfully emotional finale that will reach into your heart and give its strings a very firm tug.
This fabulous show meets all the requirements for a fun night out, as frequent flyers will be able to attest, but if you want that message at the end, which so brilliantly wraps it all up, it’s there for you too.
Quite possibly their best work so far, Snip/Tucked is written by Brendan van Rhyn (Cathy) and Christopher Dudgeon (Holly), with Rudi Jansen joining them on stage as Molly. Melissa van der Spuy did the music direction and the choreo is by Sven-Eric Muller. The show runs Wednesdays to Saturdays until July 28 (extended due to popularity). Tickets are R500-R595 including mezze supper and dessert. For more information, call 021 035 1627/071 589 2915, email [email protected], or click here.
- This story first appeared in Saturday Live (Weekend Argus) on May 12, 2018
PHOTO CREDIT: BIANCA COLEMAN
