These Are the Contents of My Head (The Annie Lennox Show) review
“Astounding”
REVIEWS AUG 3, 2024 BY PAUL VALE ASSEMBLY CHECKPOINT, EDINBURGH
Remarkably articulate cabaret, weaving personal reflection though the songs of Annie Lennox
When the cabaret artist Salty Brine brought his show Bigmouth Strikes Again to the Soho, it fused Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with the Smiths. For his Edinburgh debut, the New York-based artist gives us Kate Chopin’s 19th-century classic The Awakening, told using songs from Annie Lennox’s 1992 debut solo album Diva.
Again, it’s an unlikely pairing, but add to the mix the story of a precocious young boy trying to process his parents’ divorce and his own sexual awakening and it all falls beautifully in to place. Add a touch of Judy Garland and quite frankly, the pace, scope and sheer bravura of These Are the Contents of My Head (The Annie Lennox Show) is astounding.
As either a writer or performer, Brine never takes the easy route. The complex but even dramaturgy fuses the three stories together in wildly dramatic ways, played out with humour, insight and remarkable fluidity. Musically he highlights Lennox’s exceptional talent as a songwriter with hits such as Why and Walking on Broken Glass, but frames them in cabaret style more akin to Garland. The vulnerability is palpable but there’s gargantuan strength too, showcasing women - Chopin’s Edna, Lennox and Brine’s own mother - who, when caught in the rip tide of life, fight even harder to survive.
The presence of a live band adds both a richness and immediacy to the show, with musical director Ben Langhorst drawn into the drama to thrilling effect. Beneath the shimmering fabrics and glittered tears, Brine is a ferociously articulate storyteller, pushing the possibilities of cabaret further while honouring the artists of the past.