An Evening Without Kate Bush (Wharf 1 Theatre) ★★★1/2

Made by Sarah-Louise Young and Russell Lucas. Sydney Festival. Wharf 1 Theatre. 18-21 Jan, 2024.

Kate Bush is an icon, a legend, an enigma and she is NOT appearing at the Sydney Festival. But Sarah-Louise Young is, and she’s here to serenade the Fish People with her gentle comedy show, An Evening Without Kate Bush, that skirts the line between loving tribute and camp parody.

Young has her act down to a fine art, and knows exactly who her audience is but don’t worry, it’s just not just Kate Bush diehards. Whether you’re a longtime listener or you just quite liked “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” when you heard it on Stranger Things, you’re in safe hands. Young’s show is welcoming to a fault. There is crowd interaction, but it’s carefully controlled to create moments of “awwww” not “argggg”.

Vocally, Young is a powerhouse. Not only does she nail the tunes (while running around the rather large space of the Wharf 1 Theatre), she mimics Bush’s iconic music videos along the way. All the big hits are present, from a uniquely Russian take on “Babooshka”, a singalong to “Cloudbusting” and a touching moment with “Don’t Give Up”. Of course, the heavy hitters are saved for the end – “This Woman’s Work”, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” and “Wuthering Heights”.

As a tribute it is superb, but as a cabaret it comes across a little too saccharine for my taste. While the age range of the audience included some children aged 10, and some fans who were 60+, it definitely skewed toward the top end. Predominantly filled with people who knew the songs and lyrics well, the show was tailored for an older crowd who wanted to reminisce. The comedy is more of a “Royal Variety” level, than the saucier cabarets playing over the Festival. For those less enamoured with “the Bush” there’s definitely enough laughs to keep you going, but you’d probably be better off waiting around for Smashed: The Nightcap afterward.

While I’m not personally a super-fan of Kate Bush, I’m familiar enough with her back catalogue to have really enjoyed An Evening Without Kate Bush, and it inspired me to listen to her music for the rest of the evening. Maybe Young has slowly turned me into one of Fish People after all…