Filipino social media sensation Taylor Sheesh became a star for a lip-synching Taylor Swift tribute performance, and that’s pretty much what we saw at the Dunstan Playhouse, along with an audience of mostly teen girls who went absolutely crazy before Sheesh even appeared. And why not? After all, the real Taylor Swift never came to Adelaide, damn her!
It must be said, right from the get-go, that this was a somewhat hard OzAsia show to review, not because Sheesh wasn’t cool and her performance full of Swiftian energy, but due to the fact that a lot of it couldn’t quite be heard over the delighted screaming and hollering of the amassed fans, many of whom leapt from their chairs to dance. Non-Swifties could make out some of the most famous songs, like Shake It Off (of course), We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Anti-Hero, Love Story, and others but, such was the wild joy of the singing/shrieking-along punters, they all got a little drowned out.
This therefore means that there was more scope to watch Sheesh, who cleverly imitated Swift and all her Swifty trademarks: the frequent costume changes; the dresses that change colour; the video interludes seemingly taken from Swift’s own shows; and lots of audience interaction, with hugging, striding up and down the aisles, and plenty of photo opportunities even as Sheesh half-sang, half-mimed another tune. And she was obviously having just as much fun as everyone else.
In the end, it didn’t matter if you couldn’t quite hear Sheesh at times, or that the hysteria left some of us with our ears ringing: it was, of course, all about the fans, with this Taylor being the closest many could get to Her Swiftness.
And Sheesh, they had a great time!
Taylor Sheesh: The Errors Tour’s OzAsia season has concluded
