On the 17th of December at precisely 7:30pm, inside the Cremorne Theatre in QPAC, commenced the performance of A Very Kransky Christmas. Starring Annie Lee as ‘Mourne’, Christine Johnston as ‘Eve’ and Carolyn Johns as Dawn, A Very Kransky Christmas is a one of a kind Christmas celebration fit for the whole family. What’s not to like about glowing chokos, carols sung with quirky instruments and a good old fashioned tuba solo to Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’?
With an hour and a half of content in one hit (no interval) this performance took the audience into the world of the misfit Kransky sisters and showcased their way of celebrating the festive season. Whilst plenty of show time was scheduled for dramatic storytelling, with Mourne doing the retelling and Eve making sideline commentary, and Dawn (the half sister) staring silently into the depths of the audience, there was also a whole lot of ‘musical fusion’ that shook up the whole performance.
The instrumentation of the popular music covers ranged from a musical saw (that could effectively emulate aliencraft) to an electric keyboard to a guitar and a tuba (consistently and superbly played by Dawn). If you haven’t witnessed the Kransky sisters in action before, now is your chance to celebrate Christmas with them like you probably never have before. Find out more about the connection between the Kransky sisters and how they came to be the oddballs they are today. It isn’t hard to enjoy the magic these three sisters bring to the stage, and their musical, as well as comic, capabilities are simply outstanding.
Whether it be stories about Mourne stepping in for 'Santa Claus Christmas' at Ipswich shopping centre (shortly kicked out by centre management) or listening to a bunch of hippies ‘get it on’ to the sounds of Enya’s ‘Sail Away’ (on repeat), or simply a pop song mashup from a club in Gatton, these three Esk-based sisters are guaranteed to provide you a lot of laughs. Whilst new crowds may not understand every single reference to jokes that have been continued throughout the history of the Kransky shows, there is still a lot on offer and plenty of audience engagement.
One of the highlights of the show included Mourne and Eve pulling two men out of the audience, which they proceeded to dress up in Kransky-style outfits and force them to play instruments alongside them. This induced a lot of giggles from the audience, and everyone joined in to sing along to their favourite Christmas songs. As the audience engagement part of the performance concluded, and the men took their seats, Mourne and Eve couldn’t help sniffing their hands after this interaction, quite clearly cherishing the moment. There was so much content jam-packed into A Very Kransky Christmas, and the audience was able to hear tracks such as Sia’s ‘Chandelier’, ABBA’s ‘Take A Chance On Me’, Ke$ha's ‘Tik Tok’, Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ and a classic rendition of Roger Whittaker’s ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.
So come jangle your keys (you’ll be asked to) along to Deck the Halls and join in on the Christmas fun with the silliest sisters of all! You won’t regret being apart of A Very Kransky Christmas, as the Esk sisters take you on a journey like no other. If you’re lucky you might even get to see Dawn bust out a move at the end of the performance, taking the spotlight for once!
17 - 21 December, 2019
QPAC, Cremorne Theatre
Review: Joanna Letic