Fascinating Aida – Richmond Theatre

I can’t remember laughing so hard since I took a date to what I thought was an evening of stand up comedy with Steve Martin to discover it was a blue grass music concert. We left after the third song on that occasion, but I was riveted to my seat for this performance.

I admit I was doubtful about whether three women of a certain age (well, two of them anyway) would prove entertaining – more so that they would make me laugh. I was further worried as the music playing while we waited spanned 1930s German songs, a few Noel Coward numbers and “Tip toe through the tulips”. The show started with three women – beautifully dressed in long line embellished velvet jackets and floaty palazzo pants – on stage. On first impressions, Dillie Keane (on piano) came across as a retired public school headteacher who’d hit the bottle, Adele Anderson could have passed for a well spoken trannie and Sarah-Louise Young looked impossibly young, blonde and slim.

The first song started and my heart sunk when they sung about accountants, tax advisers, offshore accounts and shadow banking – until they got to the chorus about Companies Using Nifty Taxation Systems (abbreviate it!) and the audience started roaring with laughter. The lyrics of the songs were sheer genius and flew by so quick that I am sure I missed a number of contemporary and crude jokes. Then there was a sharp dig at the middle classes with “The only true religion is me” accompanied by actions supporting the Pilates, Yoga and self absorbed pursuits of those ignoring the plight of society’s vulnerable.

The irreverent, upper class diction of Dillie made “Dogging” even more fun (I admit I’d seen Victoria Wood perform this number and found it just as hilarious this time round). The perfect harmonies in a song about taking your ageing mother to Switzerland for euthanasia left me speechless – but we couldn’t resist laughing too – even if we knew we shouldn’t really. And I loved the song about one night stands and f*** buddies – who would have believed that these performers could be so, well, rude and relevant?

Then came a series of Bulgarian style short songs – the ladies stood behind red music stands and hit out with wicked wit at everything from politicians, riots, footballers and rugby players. Real topical top notes. And these were followed by songs about mistresses, menage a trios, novel genres and animal surrogacy. Hysterical. These women have no limits and no shame. Then the highly popular “Cheap flights” was performed, complete with actions. I was laughing hard.

The final song before the interval really did it for me though – I laughed hard watching them don their colourful trainers and get down with some streetsmart moves and rapping in “Down with the kids”. My mascara was running down my face – and it’s waterproof. I needed the interval to apply stiff liquor and compose myself.

They opened the second half bedecked in black sequinned evening gowns – looking incredibly elegant. Only to launch into a song parodying the younger generation’s obsession with gadgets and social media and their constant need for stimulation with “I’m bored”. Subsequent numbers had Tescos and hotel liaisons with work colleagues in their sights.

The comic moves accompanying “It doesn’t matter if you’re out of tune if you’re German” had me reduced again to a laughing mess. But I was sobered up by the surprisingly serious and poignant “One less place at the table” – where I loved the line “Time is a thief who steals our treasure”. There was a riotous closing number encouraging us to put our heads between our legs and kiss our a***** goodbye. Then a thoroughly good encore.

FA are touring the UK over the next couple of months and I encourage you to get along to see them if you can. Some friends of mine plan to see them in Bath at the end of October and they return to London (Greenwich) later in the season.