Review: Meow Meow: It's Come To This (Soho Theatre)

Review by Harry Bower

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

German dictionaries at the ready, everyone. It’s time. The queen of ‘kamikaze cabaret’, Meow Meow, has returned to London. It’s been a while, she reminds us, as she settles into her chaotic routine. Meow Meow, the alter-ego of Melissa Madden Gray, is billed as an “international singing sensation” for good reason. Fresh from a packed U.S tour and a Carnegie Hall appearance, she’s back to give audiences a fresh warm hug against a backdrop of the world being on fire and democracies crumbling around us.

With a dress not out of place at this week’s Met Gala and hair big enough to make Tracy Turnblad jealous, our cabaret star is on top form. If you’ve never seen Meow Meow in action but somehow already have a ticket - prepare to be temporarily confused when the performance starts - for this is not regular cabaret, nor is it regular theatre (whatever “regular” means). Instead this is absurdist theatrical cabaret, laced with silliness but with incredible vocal talent at its core. Mass audience participation is demanded. Not that the audience in this first preview needed much convincing; there is clearly pent up demand in the fanbase eager to catch up with their hero. Participation is strictly consensual, which is an important clarification given the touching, stroking, lifting, kissing, and attempted theft which occurs. All in good spirits, it must be said.

Audience participation provides the most spontaneity, and outrageous laughter is involuntary. This is exceptionally skillful clowning done in a beautifully subtle and understated way - which might sound ridiculous when Meow Meow is stood there in the lights surrounded by props and audience members. But the funny in this show feels gorilla. It feels woven into the very fabric of who Meow Meow is as a person, masked perfectly by that stunning voice and the deeply moving songs she lurches between. The whole experience feels like you’re being toyed with; we the audience are nothing but mouse puppets for our feline master. But instead of being eaten at the end, we’re hugged tightly, reminded everything will probably be alright, and sent on our merry way.

If all of that makes it sound like an evening of hollow entertainment, then I am doing this performance and this performer a disservice. There is a strong political undercurrent and each piece of music, each comedic interlude, each intro and outro adds to the social commentary. The purpose of addressing the world burning seems to be just to acknowledge it and to make the audience feel as though we are not alone in dealing with it. Where so many creatives are intent on presenting alternatives, screaming loudly about underrepresented issues, or trying to wake up their audiences from an irresponsible slumber, Meow Meow seems to here be saying something different. Basically, “it’s all rubbish, isn’t it?”. There is no fix. Aside from some relatable 20s and 30s tunes, there is no loud alarm for collective responsibility. Instead, there’s a big, immersive, affectionate safe space created for laughter, entertainment, and love. That’s beautiful.

Objectively, Meow Meow: It’s Come To This is an incredibly high quality piece of cabaret theatre. The music, piano, vocals and song selections all complement each other, and make you feel fortunate to be in the room with such talent. In-between these temporary blissful interludes, senses are attacked by a machine gun of silliness. Absurd audience interaction combines with performer bravery and a perfectly pitched sense of comic timing to deliver a lot of laughs. There’s something more significant at the core of all this, of course, and Meow Meow herself never shies away from addressing this head on. But by the end of the night, I felt immeasurably better about the world than I did going in. Even if not every joke lands perfectly, that’s got to be worth the price of admission.

Meow Meow: It’s Come To This plays at Soho Theatre until Sunday 24 May 2025. For more information visit: https://sohotheatre.com/events/meow-meow-its-come-to-this 

Photos by Karl Giant