Walking into Kopli Couture for Post-Punk Cabaret Part 1 already puts you in a rather unusual setting for a show.
Vintage clothes and accessories surround the audience, with a little bar in one corner and an improvised stage set up right in front of the changing rooms. Somehow, it works perfectly for a post-punk cabaret. The clothes, the space and the slightly unconventional atmosphere all become part of the experience.
Sasha Paris-Carter and Lebo Sibul have a great dynamic on stage. Between the songs, there are little moments of complicity and interaction that make the performance feel relaxed and personal rather than simply a succession of songs.
Sasha has a powerful, deep and wonderfully smooth voice, along with the kind of charisma and ease on stage that immediately draws your attention. Playing the piano while standing, Sasha seems completely at home, moving effortlessly between the music and the theatrical side of the performance.
Lebo, meanwhile, arrives looking like a punk clown, which makes quite an impression. The guitar playing is excellent, and the deep quality of the voice fits the darker, slightly rawer side of the music perfectly.
When the two voices and instruments come together, they create a surprisingly harmonious combination. Their different styles complement each other beautifully, with moments that feel intimate and melancholic alongside more playful ones.
Through the songs, we discover different sides of love, desire and connection. The music is accompanied by stories and exchanges between the two performers, gradually giving the audience a sense of the people behind the characters on stage.
And the setting really adds to it. Watching a post-punk cabaret surrounded by vintage clothes, accessories and changing rooms is not something you get to experience every day. Here, though, it feels completely natural.
Post-Punk Cabaret Part 1 is intimate, theatrical and a little eccentric, with two performers whose voices and personalities work remarkably well together. And for this particular show, Kopli Couture turns out to be a pretty perfect place to let it all unfold.
Post-Punk Cabaret Part 2: Dark & Kinky is at a different location on 12 September, with tickets still available. Entrance to the afterparty is included in the ticket price.
The Tallinn Fringe Festival continues until 18 September.
Author: Hélène
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