First World White Girls

Judy Hainsworth and Kaitlin Oliver Parker are two funny First World White Girls. During sixty minutes of original songs and patter they riff on the problems of the First World as seen through the eyes of two ‘entitled Princesses.’ In fact “Entitled” is the name of one of the songs and sums up succinctly the attitude of these shallow young women who vent if a cup of coffee is too hot, they’ve forgotten their computer password, or they have a car with no I-pod connectivity. Hainsworth, dressed in wedgies, a floral print dress and loads of bling, and Parker, in heels, a similar dress, and not hiding the fact that she’s six months pregnant, inhabit these wonderfully narcissistic characters with verve.

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are sent-up mercilessly, as are shopaholics and illegal downloads. The satire is sharp, and the delivery deliciously acidic. Both are agreeable performers, sing well to backing-track accompaniment, and effortlessly handle a range of music styles from country and pop to musical theatre. Director Cienda McNamara kept it pacy, despite a small indulgence of audience participation which thankfully did not get out of hand. They encored with the Britney Spears anthem “Lucky” which left the 30-something mostly female audience satisfied but still wanting more. So did I.

Peter Pinne