Reviews
The Scotsman, August 18 2010
"If you want to see something really empowering ... you need Lashings Of Ginger Beer Time, a show by a "queer radical feminist burlesque collective" who promise "titillation for the brain". This may sound rather an odd mix, but in the mid-1800s, burlesque was typically seen as political satire which sent up popular culture of the day. Through subverting well known pop songs in the way many contemporary comedians do (also influenced by burlesque's history), Lashings Of Ginger Beer Time revive this lesser-known element of the burlesque tradition. The song Hakuna Matata, from The Lion King, becomes a celebration of being a lesbian, Rent's Take Me or Leave Me, a debate about dieting pressures, while an updated version of 1950s classic Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) pokes fun at a politically correct gay couple and their right-on ideas about rearing children.
"As with 'true' or classical burlesque, Lashings of Ginger Beer Time contains hardly any striptease apart from a single routine where a businesswoman miserably takes off her clothes in a way that brilliantly parodies all that is wrong with New Burlesque and stripping more generally."
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Sally Stott
Read the full article here.
The Oxford Student, May 6 2010
"Lashings of Ginger Beer are a Radical Left Queer Feminist Burlesque Collective. You read that right. In fact, you rather do keep updating that name as more descriptors are slipped in.
"Do they live up to their quirky name and mind-blowing genre? Well, in a word, yes. In multiple words, Lashings is funny, sexy, subversive and doesn't so much break boundaries as dismiss them entirely. From a cheeky song about lesbian sex, to a bit of transgendered stand-up, a reworked Buffy song about lesbians in the mainstream media or a clever look at objectification, Lashings was at some points thought-provoking and at some points just an unpretentious good time.
"Lashings' mission is to make the audience have a fun time even if they're not predisposed to like them, and they seem to succeed - though no homophobes were forthcoming as test subjects, mind. If you come with an open mind, they're very eager to fill it up with good things.
"This is not the po-faced feminism that lurks in the fevered imaginations of Daily Mail columnists, but a romp through sexuality by a group of people who love what they do and who they are.
"Particularly good in the laughter/perspective-widening stakes was Sally, a gently amusing stand-up who made jokes about the prejudiced curiosity that the transgendered encounter day to day. I also liked the song about lesbians in media, which discussed how ultimately reactionary straight culture still is even when it includes queer characters.
"All in all, I think it's important that things like Lashings exist, as it was a great laugh and a great look at an important subculture which is only recently getting the recognition it deserves. Great singing, good fun, and lashings of sapphism. Give it a go - you won't regret it."
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Alex Harvey
The Cherwell, May 9 2010
"Don't be fooled by the name. Bike rides and picnics do not feature in the latest cabaret-style showcase from Lashings of Ginger Beer, Oxford's own Radical Feminist Burlesque Collective. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, Lashings' goal is to entertain and challenge the audience through song, dance and stand-up comedy...
"The sunny personas adopted by the performers mask their politically charged intentions to bring about greater awareness and tolerance through an enjoyable art form. Good intentions abound, and a parody of a number from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Musical! makes a witty and poignant comment about the treatment of gay and lesbian characters in mainstream media, namely their alarming tendency to end up very quickly dead or mad...
"Their desire to give a fresh, reassuring and confident voice to often misaligned and taboo LGBTQ subjects in an entertaining way is commendable, and one hopes an open-minded and receptive audience will appreciate the exuberance and warmth of Lashings of Ginger Beer."
Andrew McCormack
Read the full review here.
The Oxford Theatre Review, May 16 2010
"I had expected something very different when I agreed to review a performance by Lashings of Ginger Beer Time, a radical feminist burlesque collective. Instead of repetitive, over-politicized skits and speeches riddled with cliché and cringiness, the evening consisted of two and a half hours of wit, insight, and the occasional cheekily-wielded riding crop…Fresh, honest, and infallibly intelligent, Lashings of Ginger Beer Time takes its audience on a journey of LGBT and heterosexual experiences, shedding light on and satirizing the assumptions about gender and sexuality made by society...
"Lashings of Ginger Beer Time challenges the concept of a “real woman” or a “real man” with a style that Judith Butler herself would envy – a sketch depicting group therapy for Disney princesses struck down by misogyny (Snow White would have been entirely happy continuing to live with her primary, secondary, and even septenary dwarf partners without princely intervention) made childish ‘fantasy’ seem suddenly much more disturbing. Indeed, the collective strikes the delicate balance of touching upon entirely serious issues in a predominantly comic way, be they related to polyamory, sexual identity or women’s weight. Of note was Sally Outen, a transgender member of the collective, who took us on a whistle-stop tour of her transition in a delineation of transgender politics, hilariously elaborating upon the ridiculousness of caring about the state of a transgender person’s genitals... Currently raising money to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Lashings of Ginger Beer Time makes it clear that we have not heard the last of them yet. We’re all glad to hear it."
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Natalya Din-Kariuki
Read the full review here.
The Oxford Theatre Review, May 16 2010
"A hodgepodge of queer feminist voices and stories, Lashings could be the love child of Sally Bowles and Judith Butler, with a smattering of humour thrown in for good measure. Cleverly combining lampoons of gay representation in film and television... with a wry stand-up piece on gender dysmorphia and more chilling dance routines about prostitution, the pace of the evening certainly manages to elicit both garrulous laughter and quiet reflection from the audience.
"One of Lashings’ greatest strengths is the obvious ensemble dynamics, and the mutual trust and respect the cast members have for each other; even minor slip-ups... seem organic, offering an insight into Lashings’ creative processes...
"Equally impressive is Lashings’ ability to engage with contemporary popular culture like 'Doctor Who', offering an intelligent deconstructive reading of the role of the photogenic female companions to quirky male leads. Similarly topical references include allusions to David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s 'mandate' and song lyrics such as 'You’re like animal testing / Baby, stop protesting, I’m your guinea pig.'"
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Sujata Banerjee
Read the full review here.
