Nothing goes right in An Audience with Meow Meow, but in her world, everything that is wrong is right. The Australian entertainer (born Melissa Madden Gray) is a celebrated performer in realms afar, but has arrived at Berkeley Rep as, I suspect, an unknown entity to 99.9% of audiences here. "As a woman who needs no introduction, let me introduce myself," she tells the audience at the top of the show.
What she then says, mostly delusional self-aggrandizement, is belied by what transpires in the next 90 minutes of increasingly dire wardrobe malfunctions, technical mishaps, injured dancers, fleeing musicians, and a producer who literally pulls the plug. But still the show must go on, happily for us, for, as Meow Meow says, "I'm the Mother Courage of performance art."
An Audience with Meow Meow is billed as a world premiere, but many of its components would be familiar to fans in the know, as evidenced by a post-show perusal of reviews from abroad. Even the most audaciously physical bit, rapturously received by the opening-night audience, has been a staple of her performances. But that doesn't much matter if it's new to you, as it was to me, and I will leave its discovery to incoming theatergoers.
What is new in An Evening with Meow Meow is its particular assemblage overseen by director Emma Rice, whose local reputation has been established by visits from UK's Kneehigh Theatre, including Brief Encounter at ACT and The Wild Bride at Berkeley Rep. The production also comes equipped with new sets and costumes by illustrious British designer Neil Murray that play perfectly into the alternately over-the-top and barebones atmosphere of the show within a show.
While many of the musical numbers are outright comedic – an avant-garde Eastern European version of "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" comes to mind – some begin with a humorous veneer that may then reveal a deeper meaning. And even amidst the well-choreographed mayhem on stage, Meow Meow can smoothly turn around emotions with an unexpectedly sincere interpretation of a particular song. Meow Meow is indeed accomplished as a physical comedian, an edgy monologist, and a sensitive song stylist.
There may come a time when audiences do throw roses at Meow Meow's feet. At this point, however, she must equip the front rows to enact this ritual of adoration. "Sorry about the thorns," she tells them, "but you bloody well deserve them."
An Evening with Meow Meow will run at Berkeley Rep through Oct. 19. Tickets are $29-$89. Call (510) 647-2949 or go to berkeleyrep.org.