CABARET
Melbourne Cabaret Festival Gala
At Chapel off Chapel on Tues June 20 only. Festival runs until July 2, 2017.
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars:****
Review also published in Herald Sun online on Wed June 21, 2017 and later in print. See end of review for info about festival. KH
At Chapel off Chapel on Tues June 20 only. Festival runs until July 2, 2017.
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars:****
Review also published in Herald Sun online on Wed June 21, 2017 and later in print. See end of review for info about festival. KH
Dolly Diamond
The Melbourne
Cabaret Festival Gala provides a taster plate of shows featured in the festival,
so it is the ideal way to find a cabaret show to suit your entertainment
desires.
Cabaret
diva, Dolly Diamond, not only hosts the Gala and has her own show called The
Lady is a Tramp, but she is also Artistic Director of the festival.
Dolly
wears a figure-hugging, black gown and, with her wry and saucy repartee, introduces
a parade of seven diverse and classy acts.
In an
excerpt from her show, You’re My World – The Story of Cilla Black, Danielle
O'Malley channels the rich voice and self-deprecating humour of Liverpool’s own
1960s pop icon, Cilla Black, singing Step Inside Love, Anyone Who Had A Heart
and You're My World.
Australia’s
Boys of Motown (Vincent Hooper, Richard Swanson, Barnaby Reiter) are a
highlight, with snappy, 60s choreography and tight, three-part harmonies as
they perform Get Ready (The Temptations) and a medley of songs by Frankie Valli
and The Four Seasons, featuring Hooper’s crystal-clear falsetto.
Reviving
the brassy stylings of mid-20th century, Broadway star, Ethel Merman,
Jon Jackson’s bold voice belts out Everything’s Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy),
and a medley of musical theatre tunes by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.
Pisca (Cameron Taylor) is a mesmerising and
accomplished performer who almost defies description with his bird-like posture,
white-feathered costume and quirky, physical clowning interspersed with
eccentric singing, including an idiosyncratic version of Fly Me To The Moon.
Pisca
Ginger
and Tonic is a funny, a cappella quartet of sassy gals (Laura Burzacott,
Rebecca Moore, Jane Patterson, Danielle O'Malley) who sing a clever,
unaccompanied version of Eye of the Tiger before launching into two original,
satirical numbers, one of which wickedly targets Shannon Bennett and
Masterchef.
Ginger & Tonic
The
Gala closes with the exceptional, vocal powerhouse that is Queenie van de Zandt,
who uses her thrilling voice and soaring range to explore the music of Joni
Mitchell, starting with Woodstock and the poignant ballad, A Case of You, then
closing the show with the upbeat, Big Yellow Taxi.
Go to the festival programme, stick a pin in a page and
choose a show at random. They’ll all be a terrific night at the cabaret. Oh,
and they’re all Australian!
By Kate Herbert
Queenie van de Zandt
Featured Shows:
Dolly Diamond: The Lady
is a Tramp -Tues 27
June (preview) to Sat 1 July, 9pm
You're My World – The
Story of Cilla Black -Tues 27 June (preview) to Sat 1 July, 6.30pm
Australia’s Boys of
Motown - Wed 21 June (preview) to Sun 25 June, 6.30pm
Queen of Broadway – The
Ethel Merman Story - Wed 21 June (preview) to Sun 25 June, 7pm
Pisca -Sat 1 and Sun 2 July, 5pm
Ginger and Tonic: For
Love or Money -Wed 21 June (preview) to Sun 25 June, 8.30pm
Blue: The Songs of Joni
Mitchell -Tues 27 June (preview) to Sat 1 July, 7pm
Festival Programme:
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