Smashed Brunch was all over seedoeatreview’s radar last year but prior bookings and covid put a hold on my attendance. It was definitely my loss, because after witnessing Smashed The Brunch Party live and in person on the weekend, I’ve never had such a good time at 11.30 on a Sunday morning!
Greeted with a mimosa on arrival, we were seated near the front of the Spigeltent stage with a rather large crowd of Fringe goers who seemed to be in great spirits. The excitement from the crowd made its way to the stage as we were welcomed by the rapping Jazida who introduced us to her fabulous cast. This opening number from the entire cast just screamed FUN, and it didn’t let up from the start of the show to the finish.
The walking Ken Doll Bede Nash kicked off the morning with a rave-inspired hand balance number with fashion choices that left little to the imagination. He was quickly followed by the flame-haired, fancy-foot-moving Kelly Ann Doll who put on a wonderful display of comedic burlesque that had the crowd clamouring for her disregarded undergarments. Things took quite a gory turn next as Kitty Obsidian left us squirming in our seats as she walked over and then sat in broken glass shards. Ouch! Le Gateaux Chocolat, dressed as a giant cat, then brought a bit of baritone to Smashed. His deep, hypnotic voice belted out Memory from Cats which had me reaching for my phone to find out where he’d be performing next at the Fringe this year. The ever-delightful Malia Walsh, who supplied laughs throughout the show, wowed us all as she danced and gyrated her way onto a giant swinging champagne bottle high above the audience. And, if you think that’s impressive, this daredevil woman did it all in 6-inch high platform boots for goodness’ sake!
The absolute highlight for me was witnessing Jazida in action as she closed the show. We were treated to a bit of dance, a bit of burlesque and a lot of fire as this excitement machine hyped up the crowd and had us leaving Smashed with huge smiles on our faces. If morning meal times were all like this, I’d go out for brunch more often!
FOUR AND A HALF STARS ****1/2