“Drawing heavily on her Jewish ancestry and culture, this is a witty, humour-laden cabaret that had an engaged audience singing along to Deb’s guitar and then cackling at her often highly risqué jokes. “

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Nae Bad)

In this one-woman comic storytelling show, the multi award-winning Kiwi/Canadian/Jewish comedienne Deb Filler takes us on a musical journey through her eventful life. Using the three Leonards of the title as a theme, we follow her from her showbiz beginnings as a child prodigy in New Zealand through many a chance encounter with her eponymous heroes.

Drawing heavily on her Jewish ancestry and culture, this is a witty, humour-laden cabaret that had an engaged audience singing along to Deb’s guitar and then cackling at her often highly risqué jokes. Her often self-deprecating humour reveals a musical upbringing in the midst of a close immigrant family in Auckland, New Zealand. Very early success in talent contests set her on the pathway that has brought her to the fringe as a consummate and experienced entertainer. Filler throws her net wide in reminiscing about her musical influences: Judy Garland in the 1950s gives way to the Beatles and the Stones in the 60s – a highlight of which is the unforgettable experience of hearing her sing Hard Day’s Night and Satisfaction in Yiddish. Long before she met the three Lennies, her first musical celebrity encounter was with the folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, who toured New Zealand in the early 60s. No spoilers here, but the tale of her experience of meeting them as a starry-eyed adolescent is a funny tale well told. We stay in the southern hemisphere for the remarkable story of a truly magical encounter with the legendary conductor, composer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein. Later on in life, it is an adult Deb in America who meets Cohen and then Kravitz, both times with rather more chaotic results than happened with the debonair Mr Bernstein.

A skilled instrumentalist and singer, Filler plays the musical interludes on her guitar. From time to time throughout the show, her story is illustrated by screen projection: sometimes with colour photos of celebrities she has met; other, more poignant photos in grainy monochrome are family snaps from earlier times, including one of her grandmother, who got the family out of Germany in 1938 – the nick of time before the nazis slammed the door shut. For those who like a singalong, the lyrics to a well-known Cohen song were projected for the audience to join in as Deb Played it.
This 1hr 10min show gives you a little more for your money than the usual hour here at the Fringe and runs until 27th August. So, whether you like jokes or singing, get your coats on and go see it. Go to hear a fascinating life story set to music. Stay for Hard day’s Night sung in Yiddish. Leave with the thought that life can be full of strange and coincidental encounters.