Last Call for Nefertiti is a film by English Cabaret, presented last month at the Dunedin Fringe Festival in New Zealand and made available through C Arts.
It fuses a historical exploration of the Valley of the Kings with a selection of songs, making this production a curious cocktail of informative dialogue and slightly arch musical moments.
This is a film by Tom Blackmore, with recollections by Laurence Taylor and music by Sue Casson and The Brannick Academy. Archival footage and narration make up the rest of the show, which chronicles Dr Nicholas Reeves’s expedition in Egypt.
The idea of pairing two very different styles of performance – the historical documentary with the cabaret show – is inspired, even if it doesn’t quite come off. The singers are fun and dressed for the part, but the recollections and discussions seem almost jocular with the musical background behind them.
Rhyming “fantasist” with “Egyptologist” sets the tone, although the educational elements are all there, should you be interested in finding out more about Nefertiti and the tombs of Thebes. Nefertiti’s tomb remains undiscovered and uncatalogued. For Dr Reeves, the solution can be found in a hidden chamber in the tomb of Tutankhamun, but this remains a controversial view.
So, something of a detective story in the making here. The cabaret aspect acts as a chorus to the journey of discovery, charting how a theory can overpower a person who will not leave an idea alone, however remarkable or unlikely it may be. I found myself wondering whether this theory had any weight and read up on what had happened before.
Casson and the Brannick Academy have form of working with these stories: a previous show was about the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. Casson and Chris Brannick’s lively singing and keen interest in the period shine through, although a number that attempts to recreate a 1990s sound is a little odd.
Ultimately, the songs sparkle as little nuggets of gold, allowing us to take a break from the more exploratory themes in Last Call for Nefertiti.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars.
Left Call for Nerfertiti by English Cabaret was at the Dunedin Fringe Festival in New Zealand until 22 Mar and remains available to rent from the C Arts website.