Presented by: Mikala Lane & The Warehouse Theatre
Reviewed: 19 August, 2023
After a successful Fringe season of My Little Voice: A Sara Bareilles Tribute, Mikala Lane has returned to The Warehouse Theatre with her new offering, Boombox Bootscoot. Presented as part of the The Warehouse Theatre’s Winter Warmers Festival, Boombox Bootscoot combines a string of 80s hits with a Country and Western style.
I am a huge fan of music that came out of the 80s, and full disclosure: I had my hesitations on how 80s music reinvented with a country vibe would land. The show opened with Bon Jovi’s 1986 hit Living On A Prayer with a bluegrass flair, and the audience could quickly see how the night was going to unfold. I was sold, as was the audience, who joined in with yeehaws and whoops. The set list was packed with some of the biggest 80s hits with personal favorites including Girls Just Want To Have Fun, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), Africa and Don’t Stop Believin’.
Mikala Lane was joined by an incredible band featuring Crafty (guitars, percussion, backing vocals and ukulele), Jacob Howard (banjo, guitar and backing vocals), Kane Jones (bass), Kate Walker (backing vocals/lead vocals on select pieces) and Julian Ferraretto (violin and mandolin). This fine group of musicians worked seamlessly together and it was clear they all shared a love of Country and Western music. The arrangements were well constructed and allowed time for each musician to be featured. The cherry on top of the arrangements has to go to the incredible musicianship of Julian Ferraretto, whose violin and mandolin work brought magic to each piece.
Boombox Bootscoot has all the ingredients to be a brilliant and different fringe show. Taking a string of great 80s bangers and mixing them with a stampede of country music, the arrangements are brilliant. A few of the numbers seemed to be in a key that was a little too high for female voices and could do with being taken out of ‘a guitarists key’. This would allow some of the harmonies between Lane and Walker to sit more comfortably. With a little more tweaking, this will become a Fringe 2024 show that should be on your ‘must see’ list.
Boombox Bootscoot is a fun, light-hearted night out that will be sure to have you bootscooting in your seat.
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Venue: The Warehouse Theatre, 8 Unley Road, Unley
Season: Ended
Duration: 1 hour
