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ENTERTAINMENT / OCT ‘2017

The TripleThreatGood girls go to heaven. Bad girls go toHollywood.

This is the byline of the talented Beckssisters show The Sin-Sational Rita andMae.

Old Hollywood 20th century socialconventions, raunchy references, sexualinnuendo, catchy Jazztunes complimented by thesisters talented voices and greatscripting, are all implemented in anhour performance, that is guaranteedto stick with audiences for much longer.

Words Chloe Fakhri

Golden Age films like Goin’ To Town (1935), Gilda (1946) and Gentlemen Prefer

Blondes (1953) is what sparked a passion and curiosity inside two young sisters who

yearned to one day live their lives out on the stage.

And their dream became a reality.

Melody and Lucinda Beck are the leads in their own show The Sin-Sational Rita and

Mae, playing real life Hollywood actresses Rita Hayworth and Mae West.

Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) was an American actress and singer born in Brooklyn,

New York. Hayworth is known for being a WWII pin up girl and for her incredible

career, starring in 61 films in just 37 years. She resembled all that the Hollywood

industry yearned for female actresses to behave like.

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Mary Jane ‘Mae’ West (1893-1980) spanned her career from New York to Hollywood

as a singer, actress, comedian, playwright and screen writer. She is most famous for

her comment, “I believe in censorship. I made a fortune in it.” West was a

controversial figure, pushing social conventions and boundaries and creating a career

out of being a Hollywood sex symbol.

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The Beck sisters cleverly combined both characters into one performance, mimicking

the Hollywood industry and juxtaposing Mae West who abided by social conventions

with Rita Hayworth who was a provocative figure.

The show was just ten days into its course when I watched the talented girls perform

at the small quirky theatre The Butterfly Club, off Little Collins street in the heart of

Melbourne’s CBD, for the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Both sisters are trained singers in Classical music, Jazz, Musical Theatre and

Contemporary.

The show consisted of the right amount of old jazz songs, musical verses, historical

references, conversation and sexual innuendo, usually from Lucinda.

Melody entered the stage in a tight Hollywood inspired velvet sleeveless gown, while

Lucinda followed wearing a form fitting black dress and a fur throw over, mimicking

her character of Mae West to perfection.

Melody purchased her dress from the US and Lucinda from London, and they both

had their hair in tight curls to further reflect the old Hollywood era they were trying

to represent.

Melody’s voice remained strong and powerful throughout the show. You could have

heard a pin drop in the room when she sang, especially as she hit the high notes.

Lucinda is equally as talented, perfecting that old Hollywood sexy movie star voice,

that remained consistent and fluent throughout her performance.

The girls were born into a family of performers, whom they attribute their creative

genius to with family has roots in the Wirth’s Circus, Australia’s most prestigious

circus company, starting out back in 1882.

Their mother, Jenny Beck is also a singing teacher and the girls took lessons from

their mother and other singing teachers, which is who they credit their talented

voices to.

“We’ve grown up side stage and our parents were in the Gilbert and Sullivan society,

so we were always in the wings and singing along and page turning. That’s part of

how we learnt to read music as well”, said Lucinda.

The Sin-Sational Rita and Mae was scripted by Melody and Jenny Beck, who ensured

the script flowed fluently and logically, despite neither Rita or Mae ever meeting.

“Mae paved the way for Rita and then Rita paved the way for Mae to come back in’,

said Lucinda.

Initially the show was just about Rita Hayworth but they decided to combine both

actresses, because “they just missed each other but were still moving in the same

circles just not at the same times in Hollywood”, said Melody.

This logical decision resulted in a show stopping performance filled with old school

Jazz songs that gave you an urge to sing along and transported you to a time and era

of Hollywood celebrities, and censorship in the media industry.

“It still resonates today, a lot of what they represented. Like Mae West was ahead of

her times!”, said Melody.

She further added,

“they’re both femme fatales but invery different ways. They’ve bothhave very different values andapproaches but they were pigeonholed in the same place.”

Aside from their successful careers on the stage, both sisters are also singing teachers,

and are heavily involved in the music industry outside of performing.

Melody lives a double life working as receptionist at a pool in Sydney during the day

and writing cabarets, auditioning and performing by night.

Lucinda is also a voice over artist and professional hair dresser.

When asked where to from here the girls were bursting with ideas and excited about

the future opportunities they have planned.

Both sisters have organised to perform at the Perth Fringe Festival and Melbourne

Comedy Show with ambitions to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next

August, the world’s largest arts festival founded in 1947.

Planning has already started for future shows with so much preparation going into

each performance from scripting, drafting, editing, rehearsing all the way to

costuming, which is a particular favourite of the sisters.

“A lot of this show involved compiling autobiographies and quotes from both

actresses, including their movies and direct quotes and songs from their films. And

then figuring out how to gel those together to make it a show that actually flows, and

create a story”, said Lucinda.

Finding a talented pianist also went into planning for the show. Throughout the

duration of the performance the talented Daniele Buatti performed magically, never

missing a beat and accompanying the girl’s performance without overpowering their

voices.

You could sense and see the passion on his face throughout his act, only ever rotating

his eyes from his piano to his sheet music.

Daniele has worked with talents such as Australian actress, singer and comedian

Queenie Van De Zandt and singer and actress Amanda Harrison. His role extends

from a pianist to an accompanist, arranger and musical director.

You can find Daniele working in cabarets across Australia and notable dance schools

in Melbourne such as Patrick Studios Australia and Jason Coleman’s Ministry of

Dance.

Daniele taught himself how to play the piano after enrolling himself in two music

elective classes in Year Nine. He also plays the flute, cello and guitar but is in no time

looking to take them up professionally, over the piano.

“Two weeks prior to my first semester, I convinced my older brother to buy a

keyboard and I spent every night practising, right up until the beginning of the

semester. Before purchasing the keyboard, I had taught myself my theory, learnt how

to read and was practising on a paper keyboard I made in Microsoft Paint!”.

He is also the Music Director for Melbourne’s very own Broadway Unplugged.

“I work to bring together a bunch ofartists that are performing inindustry musicals aroundMelbourne, accompanied by myselfand a three-piece band.”

Launched in 2013, Daniele has run the event for the past five years. The show consists

of performers taking the stage monthly at Melbourne’s very own Toff in Town,

located in Swanston street. Daniele arranges the acts, backs vocalists, rehearses with

artists and performs.

But Daniele’s talents don’t stop there. He also hosts and performs several times a

month at an event called Be You, that celebrates up and coming talent, at

Melbourne’s Jazz Café.

The Sin-Sational Rita and Mae was a show that celebrated talent, promoted great

artists and provided audiences with an entertaining evening filled with great singing,

humorous historical references and transportation into an unfamiliar era, all whilst

commemorating the good that came out of this old Hollywood industry.

With such a strong talent on the stage, all you felt like doing what getting up and

performing! Or in my case, wishing I had the talent to perform!

The joy both sisters receive from performing, appreciation for all those who attended

and passion they feel when singing and acting is felt by everyone in the room, from

audience members sitting in the front row right to the lighting director up the back.

Their excitement extends right out to post-performance when they mingle with the

audience plastering a contagious smile on their faces, creating a positive, energetic

atmosphere and environment for all those who attended.

Such a talented trio – and a brilliant performance that I definitely recommend going

to watch.

Chloe Fakhri

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