Review: Shirley Knot the Siren, Canal Cafe Theatre

Shirley Knot: singer. Siren. Sinker of the Titanic (allegedly). And, for two nights only, at the Canal Cafe Theatre to regale audiences with tales of life under the high seas and the struggles of being a siren of a certain age.

In traditional cabaret style, tables are dotted around the space with chairs crammed in around them. A fittingly nautical playlist proceeds Shirley’s (Debbie Bridge) appearance, setting the tone for the night.

Bridge has a great voice, and the comic twists on well-known songs generally work well to fit into Shirley’s world. ‘Memories’ becomes a complaint about brain fog (although still remains a mournful comment on ageing), for example, and the sing-along finale is a siren-y take on ‘Come Fly With Me’ retitled, aptly, to ‘Come Swim With Me’. Safe to say, swimming with Shirley may lead to, well, swimming with the fishes. Even though she swears to be a carnitarean non-human eater now…

Less effective are the one-to-one covers, such as ‘Part of Your World’ – sung despite Shirley’s hatred for The Little Mermaid (it’s unclear how Ariel exists in the siren world. Is she real, or a Disney concoction of humanity? This could raise some complex issues of mermaid cultural appropriation) – and ‘My Heart Will Go On’, which Bridge precedes with a dedication to her father and ‘anyone who has lost someone from cancer or Covid’. It’s a nice dedication, but jolts the audience out of events and doesn’t help with the general lack of coherence to the piece.

There’s no real narrative to the show, to its detriment. Conceptually, there’s so much potential here – but in execution, it’s all over the place. There are sporadic references to Shirley’s life, from a tadpole to a student to an opera singer, but these are never pulled together into anything cohesive. It’s hard to get a hold on her story or, really, much about her character. Rather than giving structure to the show or depth to Shirley, Bridge opts for fishy puns that occasionally land and rushed bits that aren’t given time to settle – so rushed that the curtain comes down 10 minutes earlier than expected. Occasionally it’s unclear what she’s trying to say, or the point of the story she’s telling.

As a side effect, or perhaps a cause, of this, there’s no consistent message to the piece. Advertised as the story of a middle-aged siren ‘put out to sea’, there are only a few surface-level references to the difficulties of being an older merwoman (or human woman). In her final speech to the audience, Shirley calls for more acceptance on land (despite just having lauded the multiculturalism of the human world) and tells people to choose their own place, rather than having others prescribe it to them. A good message, undoubtedly, but one that has had little set-up and feels flat. If humans can accept one another then merfolk will do the same, she says, as they copy human society – a confusing statement that brings in much bigger questions about underwater anthropology.

That said, Bridge is quick to adapt to challenges, from mic failures to lagging backing tracks to no one bringing her a drink throughout her set. Her enthusiasm and energy pulls the show to the finish line, and her moments of audience participation work well.

Shirley Knot the Siren is a fun concept with lots of potential. It may not have found its land legs yet, but with a little work it cod just be a goer (sorry).

Written by Debbie Bridge

You can read more about this show in our recent interview here.

Shirley Knot the Siren is playing at the Canal Cafe Theatre on 28 and 30 July.