Tash York’s Happy Hour

The world of Happy Hour sees audiences invited into a safe and decadent space (on a budget) where life is celebrated and the world is made a better place. The show itself combines queer cheer and glamour but at the heart of the hour is acceptance that we all deserve happiness no matter how much we tell ourselves otherwise. Tash York the writer and centre of the show unapologetically drinks pools of wine, practices self-care, slays her insecurities, loves herself, and makes the effort to encourage everyone to do the same. This work is centered around the wants and needs of the audience, an ethos that absolutely shines through in her improvised numbers where she takes audience gripes and turns them into one off songs which can be laughed at and enjoyed. 

After surviving Melbourne, Naarm’s lengthy lockdowns, York wrote a show that encompassed the 1920s Weinmar Era of Cabaret where escape, sexual freedom and political satire formulated entertainment. A “Happy Hour” in the traditional sense exists to ease your sorrows in the form of binging on cheap booze, but as York has discovered over the past two years this doesn’t necessarily provide a solution. Through writing original songs and parodies the show contains messages of community, heart and allows the audience to just have fun – no matter who they are or how they identify.

Complimented by drag divas the Red Red Wines (Peppy Smears and Vivian Fonteyn), these two are not only the incredibly talented musicians but also play as part of Tash\’s world providing wit, banter and of course a cheeky barb or two at the diva. It combines cabaret with a drag heavy aesthetic, but presented with the skills of a high brow music concert as all three diva’s are celebrated musicians and singers in their own right. 

Loose, high energy, fun and heartfelt “Happy Hour” invites audiences to leave their troubles at the door to enjoy the world as it should be – where everyone is accepted and everything is fabulous!