Yana Alana and the Paranas - review

Last week I saw Yana Alana and the Paranas perform ‘Bite Me’ for the second time. I laughed...again. The show has a lot to offer – Circus performers, live poetry, a hefty dose of Feminism and an even heftier dose of c-bombs.

Sarah Ward (of Sista She fame) is Yana Alana – a venomous and self-obsessed cabaret star on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Yana is supported by her band The Paranas - all ‘really quite talented’ women but never allowed to join Yana in the limelight.

Months ago, ‘Bite Me’ was on at the Arts Centre. Yana and the Paranas had won some sort of grant to perform there and took advantage of all the fancy acrobatic bits and pieces available. The no-frills staging of ‘Bite Me’ at 45 Downstairs confirms the character-driven nature of the show. In fact, it was more enjoyable without the drummer swinging around on the end of a rope like Peter Pan in a school play. I felt satisfied – and not just because of the catering (bananas and sultanas).


(Amanda)

Who: Yana Alana and the Paranas – ‘Bite Me’
Where: 45 Downstairs
When: Wednesday, 1 April 2009