Cabaret / Jackie Loeb at The Street. At The Street Theatre, November 29. Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

In 1998 Jackie Loeb performed her show Limited Social Skills for a three-night season at The School of Arts Café in Queanbeyan. 

Back then, Jackie was attracting attention as an emerging cabaret and television artist, already writing and performing on the popular satirical television sketch comedy series Full Frontal. 

In the interim between that appearance and last night’s performance in The Street Theatre as part of the SpringOUT Festival, Jackie Loeb has carved out an impressive career in Australia and around the world with her highly original brand of comedy. 

The winner of the 2011 MO Award for Achievement of Excellence in Live Comedy and nominated for a MO Award for Best Comedy Act in 2012, she was crowned winner of the prestigious MO Award for Best Stand Up Comedian in 2016, while distinguishing herself as a versatile actor, vocalist, musician, voice-over talent and writer.

Her one-woman show, Jackie Loeb Sings The Worst Songs Ever Written, opened the door to an international career when she was nominated for the Best Comedy Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, which led to appearances in comedy venues across America and on NBC’s Last Comic Standing filmed in Miami and appearances on the UK comedy series The World Stands Up for Paramount TV. 

Basing herself in Los Angeles, Jackie performed in comedy festivals and clubs across the US, while also maintaining a busy career in Australia performing as the resident female voice-over artist for the Comedy Channel, and a regular guest on The Today Show, Good News Week, Spicks and Specks, The Playlist and Australia Versus. 

While the need to care for an elderly parent may have put a brake on her international career, Jackie’s comedic and musical skills have lost none of their lustre as she demonstrated in Friday night’s performance at The Street. 

Surprising her audience by dropping to the floor to bust a few breakdance moves, before claiming to be Raygun’s coach, she launched into her first song, I Was Born This Way before describing herself as a “K-Mart Identifying Lesbian” and launching into a series of smart, sharp, wry, wise and hilarious observations about anything and everything. 

Topics ranged across people and their dogs, crowd-funding, begging, vapes, being 50, reverse sexism and cancel culture. Observations about living in Los Angeles provided the opportunity to display her mastery of accents as well as a show highlight with her side-splitting rendition of an all-inclusive Christmas Carol.

Her re-working of the Bob Geldof song “Feed the World” provided the opportunity to flash her mimicry skills by reproducing the voices and singing styles of Tracy Chapman, Macy Gray, Shakira, Tina Turner, Cher, Sia, Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. 

While some tantalisingly short riffs on her electric guitar suggests that Loeb still has a few more strings to her talents, it was interesting to observe that she has retained the essential style that set her apart from the others way back in 1989.