In a fraction of the time it took Miley Cyrus to cast off/annihilate her all-American Hannah Montana persona, Olivia Rodrigo has graduated from Disney princess to smart’n’sassy pop descendent of P!nk. Admittedly, she’s not there (at all) with the circus skills but when Rodrigo rocks, which is more often than those who mainly know her for her whimsical breakthrough hit drivers license might imagine, she does so with bags of that same exuberant wickedness.
Rodrigo has lived much of her life in the spotlight – time will tell if that provides a rich enough seam for her songwriting but, for now, she has successfully climbed down from her glittery tower to address the key issues for her teen and pre-teen audience. Does he/she fancy me/still think of me? What is happening to me? And, most importantly, should I get back with my needy but hot ex?
The latter conundrum is pithily addressed on bad idea, right? (uppercase titles are soooooo millennial), the opening number on her badass Guts tour which kicks off with a run of righteous rocking facilitated by her all-female band. Rodrigo might look all sweetness and light but she is now such a practised performer that she can sell the pugnaciousness punkiness of ballad of a homeschooled girl, brutal and traitor with energetic efficiency.
Warning: this show also contains mawkish ballads and an interlude where Rodrigo floats around the auditorium on a suspended moon. But the highlights generally aris when she engages dorkily with her band and dancers. This show is never more than a few minutes away from a witty putdown or an inspired insight into western teen culture. As she was keen to tell her audience, “growing up is nothing to be afraid of”. At least, not when you make it look this much effortless fun.
