Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy) cabaret review: Singing through burnout
The cabaret singer is grappling with contemporary issues in a warm, intelligent hour
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Down in the intimate confines of Assembly Roxy’s basement, Millicent Sarre is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy) grapples with the burnout we have all been experiencing recently via her third show at the Fringe. Through a series of heavenly cabaret songs, the award-winning performer details the qualities of her highest self with exquisite harmonies, before questioning what this kind of social pressure really means in the face of global atrocities, invasive technology and impossible to meet beauty standards.
As Sarre’s own mental gymnastics make the audience giggle, rage and sing softly when invited, a sense of togetherness and comfort turns off the noise of overwhelm. The lyrics are candid, with the only slight miss being a country song about the mental load, but it doesn’t quite gel with the rest of this show and brushes over the goals of intersectional feminism.
Still, under celestial lighting, using her entrancing catalogue and a sweet love story to accompany the tired masses toward mental wellbeing, she touches on a feeling we often don’t speak about with grace and a careful hand. With just a loop pedal, a set of keyboards and her right-hand man, Sarre brings buckets of talent to quell the infernal internal monologue. Her impressive vocals are matched with clever puns, and despite getting a tiny bit into the clouds by the end of some sections, she has made a truly touching cabaret that will win over even the most hardened critic.
Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash (Patriarchy), Assembly Roxy, until 30 August, 3.50pm.