Jamie Mykaela is like Tinkerbell on adrenaline. The pixie-like performer from Perth made her Adelaide Fringe debut last Saturday and endearingly refers to Adelaide as “the big smoke”.
Funny and loud from the start, Mykaela’s high-energy cabaret is laced with comedy, original music, and anecdotes from childhood contrasted by some more delicate themes. She considers herself “a messy four-way tie between Barbra Streisand, Fran Fine from The Nanny, Little Nell, and Megan Washington.”
Napoleon Complex touches on the heights and the pitfalls of stardom as Mykaela openly shared some events from her starry-eyed childhood and what life is like for a touring artist.
“I am going to be completely honest; I wanted to be a combination of Mary Poppins and Columbia in Rocky Horror. I think I have achieved that delicate and very odd balance.”
– Jamie Mykaela
From her time as a young chorister to featuring in a viral video, the 22-year-old comedian recounts a colourful autobiography of how she came to be in cabaret. Mykaela was very much in her element, engaging patrons with her ukulele, guitar, and kazoo-playing coupled with sweet vocals.
“I used to eat packing peanuts and glue. I also had a penchant for dancing nude except for a tutu. Not much has changed.”
– Jamie Mykaela
Quirkiness was her strength in this memorable show where she bared all. The self-confessed overcompensator was turbulent, blunt, and a little uncouth, but this added to her comedic charm.
Rating: ★★★★
Reviewed performance: Saturday 23 February 2019
Venue: National Wine Centre
Season: Until 6 March 2019
