Review: All These Pretty Things, Etcetera Theatre

All These Pretty Things at Etcetera Theatre is an intensely personal story written and performed by Australian musician and singer Tracey Yarad. The tale she shares is a good one: autobiographical and important, as it demonstrates a brave woman battling adversity to ultimately reclaim a life damaged by the person she trusted most.

Dressed for the most part in her wedding dress – now dyed black – and with an appealing sincerity, Tracey describes her ill-fated marriage to a man with whom she shared an international adventure, performing in the Far East. Together they developed their craft, glamorously entertaining audiences by night, but sacrificing comfort by living in the restricted space of a hotel room as they saved to make real their dreams of a perfect home and future together. However, all came unstitched for Tracey when she was betrayed in the most cruel fashion, which she relates with vulnerable honesty.

This is clearly still a very raw story for Tracey, and at times it feels like she is using the performance as therapy to process her pain. As a piece of drama, it is moving and emotional, but the narrative presentation is occasionally patchy as she stumbles across her words; a juggling sequence is quite poor, even though she makes it into a joke. Tracey portrays herself as a character with a range of behaviours across a difficult part of their life, starting as mindful and zen, shifting into a soulful, jazzy artist, occasionally dropping her collected persona and playfully cursing for humorous effect. It’s sometimes a little difficult to tell when one chapter of her personal transformation ends and another begins. Yes, this is Tracey being Tracey, but to tell the story with more clarity for an audience, it would be helpful if these several aspects of her character were more distinctly defined as the story arc shifts.

Where the performance really lifts is in the points where the narrative is punctuated by songs. Here she escapes the toxic woe that has dragged her down and passionately demonstrates her considerable musical talent, singing and playing keyboard. The high points of the show are those where her voice swells to fill the room with resonant, emotional strength, and they are quite touching. This is the production I came to see!

Given the inherent talent she has, other aspects of the production seem odd choices. A background slide presentation of her artwork and reinvented life reveals more about her personal success: a badge displaying what her evil ex-husband could never take away from her. Yet it needs further thought, at times feeling clumsy, even having the programme menus displaying at one point, which snaps us out of the illusion. The lighting, too, is inconsistent, and would benefit from embracing the bold cabaret styling, which she does so well. 

Tracey’s story still feels raw and a little fragmented. It perhaps needs a second look by someone less close to the pain to give a detached overview to how her unique tale can best be dramatised for theatrical effect. In the meantime, that she is a very talented musician and singer is undeniable, making the evening worthwhile, and sharing her powerful story creates a much-needed space for self-affirmation and for the celebration of resilient women

Book by Tracey Yarad & Tessa Souter
Music & lyrics by Tracey Yarad
Directed by Tessa Souter

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

All These Pretty Things plays at the Etcetera Theatre until Thursday July 31