Hailing from the South East Queensland town of Esk, The Kransky Sisters – Mourne (Annie Lee), Eve (Christine Johnston) and Dawn Kransky (Carolyn Johns) have ventured down south in their trusty Morris Major to bring us some of their uniquely twisted festive cheer in A Very Kransky Christmas this summer.
These quirky spinsters are clearly from another time. Their near-identical dress sense of black pleated skirts matched with a polka dot blouse, complete with a red bow, has an endearing charm. Hanging Christmas parsnips and scattered personal trinkets litter the stage, offer an air of twisted eccentricity.
Brandishing a quirky brand of macabre humour, this 100 minutes show highlights their cloistered view of the world through a measured mix of droll anecdotes and idiosyncratic arrangements of christmas carols and songs they’ve heard on, and learnt from, the ‘wireless’.
Backed by Mourne on guitar, Eve’s 1960s keyboard that has seen better days, and Dawn’s euphonious notes on the tuba, their voices are quite spectacular. From a joyous rendition of Deck The Halls, a reinvention of The Twelve Days of Christmas, their version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is deliciously sinister. Eve’s take on Silent Night with the continuous glissando of her musical saw, creates a pleasing ethereal tone.
In between, modern-day pop songs by Michael Jackson, Gotye, PSY and Sia, all get the Kransky treatment, sitting perfectly amongst some hits of yesteryear, that includes Simon & Garfunkel and Nana Mouskouri, making A Very Kransky Christmas one ‘helluva’ cracker of a show!
A Very Kransky Christmas
The Alex Theatre, 1 / 135 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda
Performance: Monday 20 November 2017 – 8.00pm
Season continues to 26 November 2017
Bookings: www.alextheatrestk.com
A Very Kransky Christmas will also presented throughout New South Wales (28 November – 8 December); at the Seymour Centre (9 – 10 December); Canberra Theatre Centre (13 December); Adelaide Festival Centre (15 – 16 December); and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (19 – 23 December). For more information – including all performance dates and locations, visit: www.thekranskysisters.com for details.
Image: Dawn, Mourne, and Eve star in A Very Kransky Christmas (supplied)
Review: Rohan Shearn