Wellington Fringe 2026

The Silver Slipper

MRProductions

Genre: Cabaret, LGBTQIA+, Musical Theatre

Venue: BATS Theatre

Festival: Wellington Fringe

Low Down

Review

Frank Sinatra is crooning away as the audience files in for The Silver Slipper, which promises to take us into a world of “velvet curtains, shimmering silhouettes and just a hint of mischief”.  Sounds interesting, especially as we’re also apparently in for the odd heart-stopping harmony and wink that tells a story.

And, true to the marketing blurb, we get a full-on hour of glamour, glitz and gaiety as our quintet of talented and very hard-working artists deliver a heart-warming set of songs ranging from the truly nostalgic through to neat arrangements of modern hits.  The audience laps it up, too, with a particularly young cohort on the evening I attended having no hesitation at showing their appreciation – and joining in with (and without!) cast encouragement.

Backing tracks which appeared to have been carefully and cleverly tailored to the singers’ respective ranges ensured that they could demonstrate their prowess as both soloists and chorus members alike.  We had duets, trios, ensemble numbers together with several particularly notable solos.   And hats off in terms of the latter to Mila Te Whare-Manson and Maya Gatling for several superbly delivered pieces, their respective mellifluous voices filling the spacious BATS Theatre auditorium.

There’s a lot to admire, too, in the staging and choreography.  Whilst the solos and duets focused primarily on the singing, anything beyond that came with a full helping of dazzling footwork that used every available piece of the stage and required, given that each performer was carrying a hand-held radio mic, some artful use of the arms.

Segues were employed judiciously to keep the show flowing, linking each number with a bit of artful badinage and just the occasional deliciously “cheesy” side bar which created just enough time for a series of daring (and complex) costume changes.  The costumes themselves were a real highlight.  I’m no fashionista, but even my untutored eye could recognise the thought and care that had been put into designing and delivering the dazzling array of garments that accompanied each number.

And, when she wasn’t charming us with her vocals, Mila Bailey’s sure hand as director and creator of the spectacle ensured the hour passed seamlessly but (and it’s a bit of a big but)………..

There’s an old saying in techie circles – “if it can go wrong, it will go wrong, so test it”.  In this case it was a dud mike, which badly affected the many ensemble pieces.  Result?  Holder of said dud couldn’t compete with the quartet who were amped.  You could just about make out the “unplugged” voice, but surely this could have been fixed during the show?

Similarly, an old lighting maxim is “do less better”, concentrate on supporting the artists.  OK, in a show billed as glitzy and glamorous, you need sparkle.  But the spotting was “off” too often.  Either that or the dancers simply missed the light.  Often.  And there were instances where the cast was lit just from upstage, leaving their faces and fronts in shadow.  Add to this some other puzzling choices of effect and one spent too much time peering into gloom.

It rather took the edge off what was, at its heart, a really dazzling piece of cabaret/musical theatre.  Fix the techie side of things and you’ve got a real humdinger of a show in the making.

Published February 26, 2026March 6, 2026 by Tim Wilcock