Barbara (and Kenneth) by Deanna Giulietti and Laws & Leavitt is playing at the Greenside at George Street venue. This is a predominantly one-woman show, but Kenneth does appear at times and has a song. This production is written, directed, and produced by Lauren Laws, with Barbara played by Deanna Giulietti and Kenneth played by Jack Shapiro.
As indicated in the title, Barbara (and Kenneth) is an original piece of work centred around the worldwide popular doll given life, a voice, and that voice is heard loudly and clearly speaking on a variety of social issues related to femininity and women (but there was a nod towards non-binary individuals who identify as female, which was well received by both this reviewer and the audience as a whole).
The songs in this production were meaningful, impactful, entertaining, and were performed exceptionally well. Giulietti has exceptional vocal range and vocal control, and that much is evident from the first song.
During the course of the show, Barbara speaks about some of the occupations that they have had during their career and some of the challenges they faced. These challenges are reflective of some of the experiences and challenges that female-identifying individuals have faced over the years. Themes throughout the show include body positivity and feminism. Kenneth, when they appeared, was a perfect complement to Barbara but had their own moment to shine in their own song, which was brilliantly performed.
The message of this show is an important one and was well communicated in a very entertaining way. There is a lot of heart in this show, and this was reflected in the audience reaction and the connection between Barbara and the audience. Giulietti’s performance was so charismatic, and this helped with the complete and total immersion of the audience in the production. It is so easy to forget that you are attending a show at the festival and that you aren’t engaged in a personal, relatable account about the struggles of female-identifying individuals in what has been and is, at times, a patriarchal world. This show is hard-hitting in all the right ways while also being clever, witty, effortlessly charming, and humorous when fitting. There were moments where the performance was so touching and the message so deep and meaningful that the heartstrings were plucked.
Overall, Barbara (and Kenneth) is a show not to be missed with so much heart and positivity. In an increasingly dark world, the message of Barbara (and Kenneth) is one that needs to be spread. In Barbara’s own words: ‘be true to yourself, don’t be everything to everyone. Be you’.
