Lady Yana sings the blues
0 Yana Alana: Powerhouse vocals, high-octane fun, and a rage against injustice
of Divine and the cartoonish mischief of a Smurf. She wastes no time in establishing her chops, knocking us back with terrific vocals, a checklist of socially-conscious political positions and some nifty clown work involving her musicians.
Alana’s songs playfully highlight an open and irreverent attitude around sex, mental health and the dangers of embracing normality
for its own sake, all helped along by nuggets of narcissistic wisdom, an abdominal vibrating belt and a long blue ribbon retrieved from an unexpected location. Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy has rarely been quite so, well, manic.
Beneath the sometimes monstrous persona, there’s a deep seam of genuine melancholy – not sadness as such but consistent hints acknowledging the real injustices
and vulnerabilities of life for those outside the bounds of easy and obvious acceptance, and the harm that can be done when such exclusion is ignored or reinforced.
Alana’s achievement is to ensure such points come through strongly while keeping her fast-paced, boisterous and uproariously entertaining show on the road.
BEN WALTERS
Until 26 August. Today 8pm. Cranston Caravan Club (Venue 434)
JJJ
With space for only three people in a specially designed caravan, this is the kind of intimate and immersive sitespecific piece of theatre that everyone visiting the Fringe should see at least one of. While the Fringe Guide says it starts at midday, it’s actually on between 2pm and 10pm, pretty much whenever you turn up, which is in keeping with the relaxed mood the Fireside venue favours, with it’s hippy Glasto feel and woodchip floor (no Big Four Astro Turf here!).
Once in the caravan you’ll see one of five pieces. Today, it’s Husk (Miniature Industrial Landscapes for Aged Eight and Over). Wearing headphones and using a torch and magnifying glass, we are invited to explore a revolving diorama containing three intricately cut-out scenes depicting the production of food, including rice and grain, around the world.
The narrative is a conceptual one and, as a result, the piece, which is also very short, offers more an intriguing experience than in-depth insights, but there’s something really special about being transported somewhere far away in a caravan but without actually moving.
Other options include, Journey (Immersive Sound and Shadows), Up North (Poems, Songs and Shadow Spill) and Lamp (Physical Absurd Object Theatre). I’d quite happily go to them all.
SALLY STOTT
Until 27 August. Today from 2pm.