PERFORMERS EDITING SITE       Click Here to Edit Contact/Show info       Click Here Return to Main Fest Website

An inspiring, comedic, music-driven cabaret show celebrating outrageous, true-life stories of a multiple-divorcee/rock-singer-turned-cabaret-comedian who decided to pack her jaw-dropping tales of cult-loving husbands, jailbird exes and shaggable therapists into an hour show of powerfully funny parodies, with snippets of famous songs recrafted to poke fun at her rocky road to self-discovery. From sultry pop to classical trills and belting cabaret-style showstoppers, Barbara lustily celebrates female power in the midst of chaos, in a show that audiences have called “fearless, endearing, and unflinching”. ★★★★ “Soaring vocals, belly laughs, touching tales" – FringeReview ★★★★ “Outrageously funny musical comedy show" – Theatre and Arts Review

News and Reviews for this Show

August 23, 2024  Fringe Review Barbara Fernandez Singing, Sagging and Shagging Low Down Barbara Fernandez Singing, Sagging and Shagging is built around the idea that trauma can be presented with humour, and Fernandez doesn’t shy away from sharing her own. She takes us on a whirlwind journey through her life. Soaring vocals, belly laughs, and touching tales—that’s what you get when you spend an hour in Barbara Fernandez’s presence. She’s fearless, endearing, and utterly unflinching, a force of nature who leaves us laughing and reflecting. Fernandez is fearless, endearing, and utterly unflinching. She’s vulnerable yet confident, raunchy yet touching An hour in Barbara Fernandez’s company is an absolute joy. Review In a tiny space upstairs at Bar 50, Barbara Fernandez welcomes her audience with a song welcoming us, kicking off a cabaret show that swings from raucous humour to deeply touching moments. Edinburgh is full of intimate venues like this, where audiences gather in the hopes of discovering the next big thing, and Fernandez’s show certainly delivers an experience that’s hard to forget. Fernandez has the audience hooked from the start, with one liners and stories that dance between mild and quite raunchy, depending on your compass on these things. It’s refreshing and empowering to see an older woman take to the stage with such confidence, unashamed of her past mistakes and bad choices—things we’ve all done but rarely talk about. She shares her mental health struggles openly, offering insight into her life with a lightness that never feels self-indulgent. As a singer, Fernandez is a consummate professional, with a gorgeous resonant voice. She uses the microphone masterfully, always perfectly positioned to ensure every note resonates without overpowering the small space. The linking stand-up segments between songs feel a little less polished, but she is relatively new to stand up. Once she starts singing or telling a story, though, Fernandez is in her element, and the audience is swept along with her. The show is built around the idea that trauma can be presented with humour, and Fernandez doesn’t shy away from sharing her own. She takes us on a whirlwind journey through her life, starting in Paris at 22 and moving through a series of boyfriends, husbands, jobs, and eventually, a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). But this is no heavy-handed exploration of mental health, the stories she shares often burst into song, with well-known tunes transformed by snappy, new lyrics that deliver delicious fragments of her life. In one particularly memorable moment, she pauses to ask the audience if they’re ready for the serious bit—a brief but insightful explanation of BPD, delivered with the same warmth and humour that permeates the entire show followed by a song about BPD, gentle, lyrical – a highlight of the show. Overall, soaring vocals, belly laughs, and touching tales—that’s what you get when you spend an hour in Barbara Fernandez’s presence. She’s fearless, endearing, and utterly unflinching, a force of nature who leaves us laughing and reflecting. Fernandez is fearless, endearing, and utterly unflinching. She’s vulnerable yet confident, raunchy yet touching An hour in Barbara Fernandez’s company is an absolute joy. And, in true Fringe fashion, she wraps up her show with a plea for reviews, donations, and, most importantly, spreading the word about this must-see show. And, being Barbara it’s in song! Click Here

August 19, 2024  Theatre and Art Reviews Barbara Fernandez - Singing, Sagging and Shagging Barbara Fernandez is sixty-something and embarking on her first Edinburgh Fringe with her outrageously funny comedy musical show Singing, Sagging and Shagging. Meet Liza Minnelli and Debbie Harry’s love child as she takes to the stage. Fernandez has the audience engaged throughout the show with a range of mild to borderline humour. Her life has been a rollercoaster of emotions and events. Although for stand-up purposes it can be viewed that her life has been a material gathering exercise ready for her stand-up career. The material is fresh and empowering for an older woman to take to the stage and bare her life in public. Unashamed of her mistakes and bad choices, which we are all guilty of but don’t talk about for fear of repercussions. She openly discusses her battles with mental health. Fernandez also explains why BPD is often undiagnosed by Doctors officially on medical records. No, it’s not because they can’t be bothered. Fernandez isn’t new to show business and just wait until she sings one particular number and every inch of the talented professional singer fills the room. There’s still plenty more material waiting to surface from this talented lady and I am interested to see where her career takes her next. Please check out the link below for Singing, Sagging and Shagging which is running in the new Bar 50 venue as part of the Free Fringe in Cowgate, Edinburgh. The Free Fringe has a fantastic variety of shows available across their venues this Fringe. Four Stars. Click Here

Press & Media downloads for this Show

Press Image 1 Press Image 2 Press Image 3 Media File 1 Media File 2

Comment on this Show

 Website Design & Development by Craig Shaynak and Alex Petty