Kokova Magazine

After the excitement of Christmas and the entrance of the New Year it was a break from routine that took us up to the Soho Theatre, London's most vibrant venue for new theatre, comedy and cabaret, where on Saturday 4th January 2014 we caught the final show from Lady Rizo.

Lady Rizo is billed as an entertainer - dream maker - chanteuse and superstar, so not being a great lover of comedy myself but enjoying a dark, dry sense of humour, it was with some anticipation that I ventured into the cabaret space of Soho Downstairs. I left my expectations at the door of this informal and intimate theatre, that is ideally situated for purpose. Surrounded by many restaurants offering a diverse selection of cuisine, you can grab a bite to eat before you head to your show.

We sampled the menu at Prix Fixe Brasserie, a delightful French restaurant where fresh ingredients are used to produce their high quality dishes. They certainly put the wow factor into their Banoffee Pie and I strongly recommend you try this next time you are passing by.

After a pre-show drink in Soho Theatre's own bar, my partner and I made our way down into the space beneath street level; a small room, complete with managed bar and raised stage. This area would be pushed to hold more than sixty people comfortably seated but surprisingly this adds to the charm and makes the show feel more personal.

We had no idea what to expect and when one lady was overheard telling her friend to sit further back because "she (Lady Rizo) scares me a little" it certainly piqued our interest.

The Lady in question arrived promptly to start her show and burst onto the stage in full voice. Amidst audience participation, witty risque one-liners and showy interludes we giggled our way through her opening 'act'. Lady Rizo does to gloves what Demi Moore did to clay, although with a more coarse and blatant expression.

Her ability to have the crowd 'ooh-ing and ah-ing' within seconds, as she fluffs her hair and strokes her breasts should be a good indication of where this act is going. Yet amid the classy delivery of smutty one-liners, the rubbing of a rose in her most intimate areas and audience participation we get a glimmer of the voice behind this comical cabaret act.

There were a few awkward pauses between the flow of comedy and song, a small window where Lady Rizo appears to be thinking on her feet and working with the audience she had been given, yet there was also a hint of vulnerability (intentional or not) that made us wonder if this Lady was as confident as her act.

Plucking a man from the audience to assist with her costume change, and after pulling him behind a silhouetted screen, she proceeded to question him on his introduction to sex. Luckily he was a good sport and gave as good as he got, holding his own and putting Lady Rizo on the spot when he confessed to us all that he had only ever slept with his wife.

We can certainly see the comparisons that have been made to other great singers and performers but for us Lady Rizo stands alone in her uniqueness. What we would like to have seen is less constructed banter and a lot more singing - because Lady Rizo has a stunning voice and the ability to pen some amazing lyrics to song.

Did we like the show? Yes, and we will probably go again the next time Lady Rizo pops over for a visit but ultimately we would also love to spend an hour or two just listening to her sing, without any distractions from her soulful voice.

Grammy-winning Lady Rizo (Amelia Zirin-Brown) sings a range of covers, as well as her own material and is currently set to appear in The Spiegeltent at Sydney Festival 2014 from the 21st - 26th January.

If you like cabaret and burlesque, comedy and song then Lady Rizo will have you swinging between the four - all in one night.

For more information visit www.ladyrizo.com