Review: Cringeworthy is a funny, fast-paced show in tune with the audience

The cast of Cringeworthy get the audience happily dancing down memory lane. Photo / supplied.

Cringeworthy is a fantastically funny step back in time to the music scene in 1970s New Zealand, that will have you dancing in the aisles, however young (or old) you are.

The New Plymouth performance of this show was one of the first of the Reset 2020 shows to sell out, and it is easy to see, and hear, why.

From the moment the lights first dim, the disco ball lights up and the music starts, the show grabs the audience by the hand and takes them on a tuneful dance down memory lane, never missing a step or a beat.

With the talented case of Andrea Sanders, Carrie McLaughlin, Tom Knowles and Jeff Kingsford-Brown, there was never any doubt the show would be harmonious, and all four performers absolutely excelled on stage.

Given I spent my teen years in 1990s Britain, the fact I found myself singing and dancing along just as much as the other audience members is testament to the energy and talent on stage. With Andrea, Carrie, Tom and Jeff belting out the hits of the 70s, it didn't matter if you remembered them yourself or not, you still wanted to get up, dance and have a good time.

It was a history lesson like no other, as the audience were taken back in time to a decade were tangerine was the new black, where the bigger the bell bottom the better, and chest hair was proudly peeking out of polyester shirts.

Such memorable fashion certainly gave the costume designers plenty to have fun with, and they certainly did, as do the clever set designers who went all out to take the audience not just back in time, but sat them by a lava lamp in the lounge of everyone's memories.

The show is one of the ones to have toured the region as part of the Taranaki Arts Festival Reset 2020, and that was a great decision by the organisers. The songs, the fashion and the memories Cringeworthy brings with it, are all perfectly suited to Taranaki's older halls and theatres.

Cringeworthy is a beautiful, tuneful and joyous love letter to an entire decade, and makes for a great night out.