Set in The Bally, a small carny tent in the East wing of Gluttony, Gemma Caruana’s intimate  performance was a perfect fit as she swanned on stage to set the foundations of her “titillating” and tumultuous story with a reimagined version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Memories’…or mammaries as it were. Whilst the song itself didn’t quite hit the mark in the funny stakes, you couldn’t help but be impressed by her vocal range.

She started by stating that to attend her show, you had to be one of three types of people: devoted patrons of the arts who know fresh hot talent when they see it; people who have had the experience of growing breasts at some point in their life and hope to gain some cathartic release from the show… or just pervs. Insert uproarious laughter from the audience.

As we traversed (via song and monologue) the rocky road to Gemma’s liberation from the burdens of having an oversized bust at a very young age, we were given an insight into the heartbreaking vulnerability of girlhood as she tries to make sense of her physical progression and the dangers it presents.

The story, albeit a heavy one, was routinely interrupted by welcome bursts of comic relief in the form of reenactments of her memories using voiceovers, music and dance routines.
Gemma’s energy was fantastic and her ability to work a room was undeniable. However (perhaps due to an imbalance of light and darkness) there were occasional lulls when the audience seemed too apprehensive to laugh. In saying this, Underwire is still an important event for everyone to see – a haughty, naughty narrative about womanhood that packs a punch.