Review: Saucy Jack and The Space Vixens (Small but Mighty Productions)

Toronto’s feel-good, kinky, sci-fi musical will have you laughing the whole way home

Glitter boots, murder and a whole lot of disco made my night as I watched the raunchy and outrageous musical Saucy Jack and The Space Vixens at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. What a fun night out with a talented cast!

How can you go wrong with numbers like “All I Need is Disco,” “Glitter Boots Saved My Life” and “Fetish Number Out of Nowhere.” The musical is campy and full of glitz and glamour as the cast interacts with the audience as if they are patrons of the futuristic club – Saucy Jacks. Meanwhile, the sexy and robust Space Vixens arrive from another planet to investigate a serial killer, which cast members continually fall victim too.

The characters of the show, all quirky and larger than life were perfectly cast. Standouts of the performance were lead Space Vixen – Jubilee Climax, played by Julia Carrer. With a beautiful voice and “great port de bras” (remarked by a fellow cast member), Carrer was the perfect performer to showcase the powerful female role who devotes her life to fighting crime with style and glitter. My guest of the night fell in love with Booby Shevalle, played by Robbie Fenton, whose only dream is to be a Space Vixen. Fenton steals your heart throughout the show, so much that you hope they are not the next victim of the serial killer!  

Small But Mighty Productions takes on Toronto’s first fully licensed version of this award-winning musical, created in 1995 for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It has grown in popularity with performances across the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. I will not be surprised if more Toronto theatre companies bring this show back, and soon.

As for the design of the show – the set was perfect as muted coloured milk crates created the atmosphere for the dingy bar. The costumes were fantastic and helped to create the fabulous characters and showcase their kinks. The lighting was flawless and helped to bring the audience right into the disco era. The choreography was clean and fun – with a few fumbles from performers throughout. My only major critique is that I wished that the cast had been mic-ed as some lyrics were lost. With characters spread throughout the whole cabaret space, sometimes the background singers would drown out the main vocals if they were closer in proximity to you.

Despite this I found myself laughing out loud with the entire audience throughout the whole show. I cannot remember the last time I have heard an audience laugh this hard. It is a great night out that I highly suggest to mature audiences. If you are looking for a feel-good, kinky sci-fi musical, this is the perfect show for you!

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