Oh Dahlin! It’s truuuuly a millenials delight

Dahlin! It’s the Jeanie Little Show is a monologue that paints the rough portrait of the life of Jeannie Little, a Sydney Suburbs girl, with a passion for fashionista, but ended up in the spotlight on stage and television.

Of course the show plays on her most (in)famous catch phrase. The words “Oh Dahlin” are brought to life in that pitched voice she became so commonly known for. The show does much more than that however.

Playwright Kieran Carrol has looked at aspects of her vast, technicoloured career in television, comedy and entertainment from her time in theatre, the interview on Parkinson in the United Kingdom, her marriage to Barry and only daughter Katie leading us to her final decades in life where the vivacious TV icon fell victim to Alzheimer’s.

The simplicity to the set design shows a minimalistic approach that can be carried to many locations. Its practicality in using smaller stages worked well in the Loop Project Space and Bar, lending intimacy to the performance.

The bar itself lends to a smaller cliental with wonderful, hospitable staff, reasonably priced drinks for a city location and comfortable cabaret seating to last the length of any performance or music groups.

Kieran’s work takes a look back at Jeannie’s early career on the Mike Walsh Show, the Logie she won in 1977, where she jokes then about never leaving Australia, unless it was to visit America to see her Burt Lancaster, who presented her with the Gold Logie for Best Female.

Jeannie also recalls of her time as an icon herself for emerging and changing queer/gay culture in Sydney, the rise of the 1979 Mardi Gras riots, and her marriage to Barry.

A play telling Jeannie Little’s life will also need to discuss the pain of Alzheimer’s. Kieran’s play tactfully recognises the strain on home and heart for family and friends, in a way that is honest, respectful and dignified. A feat both playwright and performer should take pride in delivering.

Caroline Ferguson who portrayed the larger-than-life star performed the actress to a tea, wearing the blonde wig Jeannie wore to the 1977 Logie awards, greeting guests from the back of the room as she made her way to the front of the stage, nit picking on outfits, haircuts and even the amount of wine a guest was drinking was both hilarious and set the monologue’s tone throughout.

A boisterous, honest, lively character which shows the strong direction and a script that doesn’t hide a thing. Except perhaps her hair, with wigs and hat changes that help not just portray the character, but also serves to highlight the changing of time periods throughout the monologue.

She jokes about her “cleaning book” “Dirty Deeds” co-written by Robbie Tarling and then again reminiscent of her times with her daughter Katie who wrote, “Catch a Falling Star: A Story About Growing Up With Jeanne Little.” The true love for Katie as her only child, is clearly shown as Caroline starts moving towards the decline with Alzheimer’s.

Her contrasts between characters is exceptionally well played, changing from Jeannie to Marlene Dietrich, her husband Barry, Marylin Munroe and others, the performance delivered seamlessly.

The pause and composure between the physical aspects of the persons Caroline brought to life was exceptional and certainly at time hilarious. It also derives the question in one scene where Jeannie is told that she could “sing better than Marlene Dietrich”, could Caroline’s performance be better than Jeannie Little?

As a millennial, I have heard of Jeannie Little and can only say, I knew her reputation as loud and flamboyant, with a voice that I remember as sounding whining and annoying. But “Dahling”, certainly took it to the next step, in a way that I found thoroughly enjoyable and a pleasure to see Caroline acting a roll of someone sincere, who has not long passed away in November 2020, lending a respect and dignity that could not be directed.

Dahlin! It’s the Jeannie Little Show was an informative and respectful piece, of the trials and tribulations that an actress, let alone an actor of today, could get away with, was funny, sad, entertaining and still annoying, and has me saying ‘Oh Dahlin’ and ‘Truuuuly’ like I wouldn’t have before.