Do It Like A Lady

Five female singers create surprising and subversive renditions of masculine anthems, part of Blackcat Lounge at Sidetrack Theatre, writes Garrett Bithell.

“I was sitting in the audience at Alan Cumming’s I Bought A Blue Car Today, and he was singing this amazing version of ‘Mein Herr’, and I just started imagining a show with all women singing songs by men. The concept is simple, and that’s why it works.”

So says Maeve Marsden, creator of performance troupe Lady Sings It Better, which features five female singers taking on some of the most seminal male musicians throughout history, from Midnight Oil, Michael Jackson, AC/DC and The Beatles, to Nine Inch Nails, Leonard Cohen, Queen and Rolling Stones.

Lady Sings It Better is one of the headline acts at Blackcat Lounge, a season of queer cabaret at Sidetrack Theatre in Marrickville.

“In most cases we hunt for songs that have lyrics worth ‘exposing’,” Marsden tells SX. “Lyrics that give insights into the ways popular music, in particular male-dominated pop culture, views women. We love poking fun at negative stereotypes, but we also choose really beautiful songs that frame women positively – a chance to sing lovingly about other women, romantically, or with friendship oR family in mind. Then there are songs we just sing because they are fabulous!”

Indeed with backgrounds in varying musical styles, from opera and musical theatre to jazz, folk and pop, the five musicians create surprising and playful renditions of masculine anthems, inviting the audience to discover new ideas in the lyrics and think about how a song can change meaning when sung in a female voice.

“Apart from the queer twist found when a woman sings a love song about other women, we also find really interesting ways of flipping a story in a song or pulling out different themes,” Marsden says. “I mean, this is the art of cabaret – revealing story and ideas through song. The concept is really there to serve that purpose.

Lady Sings It Better at the Blackcat Lounge, Sidetrack Theatre (142 Addison Road, Marrickville) from February 15, 23, 24 and March 2, 4, 7 & 8. Tickets www.sidetrack.com.au