Satire is defined as the ‘use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.’
Melinda opens the show by describing herself as a satirist, there was no need as that was apparent from the first verse of the first song.
The use of satire is not often executed with sophistication and is more often bish bosh in delivery.
Yesterday afternoon we were treated to a masterclass of satire in its most sophisticated form. Her chosen delivery is song. Combine her beautiful voice, her very sharp eyed observations with outstandingly clever and wittily worded songs and you get the production Off The Scale.
It’s quite incongruous to hear her chosen targets being eviscerated by that beautiful voice. Those targets range from social media, a common people (British and American) divided by a common language (English and American), the First Lady of the USA, cougars and intergenerational misunderstandings.
The songs are delivered effortlessly, but to do so with such humorous cerebral lyrics you know that each word has been weighed and each song is the result of many days of work.
If you don’t know what satire is I suggest you go and see this production. For those that do? I suggest you go and enjoy this master delivery of this art form. Hat tips to the lyricists, Melinda, Jeremy Limb, Lloyd Evans and Michael Roulston.
Melinda Hughes: Off the Scale Drawing Room, Assembly Rooms, 4.50pm.
[review rating=”4″ align = “left”]
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