Fempaths: Transistor Radio Hour cabaret review – Sparkling safe haven
Mari Moriarty creates a space for solidarity, celebrating the trans community through raw ballads, raunchy humour and blazing anthems
At the heart of Fempaths: Transistor Radio Hour is a safe space. This cabaret led by pianist and vocalist Mari Moriarty alongside her live band (Bebhinn Todd and Carolina Lopez Del-Nero) thrives on vulnerability, buckets of attitude and heaps of gratitude. Surrounding jubilant props is the hum of a nostalgic radio broadcast station, with voiceovers, spotlighting and microphones. The production uses its airwaves to construct a welcoming haven for queer celebration and identity, as Moriarty traverses the turbulent, violent and, yes, joyful moments of trans history through verbatim speech and improvised songwriting. It’s intense, it’s necessary and it’s a hoot.
Moriarty possesses versatile vocal talents, shifting effortlessly between ballads, erotically charged comedy and political anthems built from historical accounts and personal narrative. The production excels in its commitment to accessibility; pre-recorded audio descriptions set a sanctuary-like intimacy from the start, particularly for visually impaired audiences. The radio-hour structure allows for a rich collage of tones, balancing light-hearted humour with moments of stark, vulnerable queer rage and raunch. The deliberate, loosened atmosphere slows the pacing, while slightly awkward audience interaction disrupts the musical setlist’s flow. Though it lacks slickness, Fempaths remains a bracing and touching refuge of queer joy and solidarity.
Fempaths: Transistor Radio Hour, Underbelly Bristo Square, until 30 August, 8.45pm; picture: Queergarden.