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Lime Cordiale & The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra → Adelaide Cabaret Festival

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  I have been to MANY Lime Cordiale gigs throughout my 20s, seen them in venues of all sizes and stood in crowds of all sizes. I feel like I have a parasocial relationship with these brothers because it is their music that has soundtracked the beach days, the study sessions, the late night drives, the Hottest 100 parties… So it was a no-brainer to jump at the opportunity to see them in the Festival Theatre, except this time, backed by the incredible Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.  The seats were filled with equal parts Lime Cordiale fans and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra fans, bringing us together into one room to experience the newfound magical grandeur that their music becomes when its re-ignited with orchestral arrangements.  Conductor Vanessa Scammell is spotlighted centre stage, surrounded by the ASO. They begin with a groovy opener for Money , before Oli and Louis appear. The whole scene is just an epic sonic feast for the senses! ASO’s talented orchestra boasts string,...
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Interview → Tatum Langley (Post Modern Jukebox)

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  Ahead of their Australian Tour, I was fortunate enough to interview Tatum Langley from Postmodern Jukebox! Tatum has charmed the audiences of cozy jazz clubs & intimate cabaret venues, as well as shaken the rafters of internationally-renowned performance spaces across the globe such as The London Palladium, Sydney Opera House, and Royal Albert Hall. She regularly tours globally with musical sensation “Postmodern Jukebox,” and will be gracing us here in Adelaide for their one night only show as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival!  Tatum shared many insightful answers about her influences, the importance of engaging with the arts, and what Adelaide can expect from a PMJ show! Enjoy! QUESTION 1: Looking back on your incredible career so far, what was it that first drew you to performing and what have been some career highlights?  If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you that I have been singing and performing since I was born. I have always been so drawn to all thing...
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Pretty Woman The Musical → Adelaide Festival Theatre

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  Forget Rodeo Drive. The hottest destination this winter is on Grote street at Her Majesty’s Theatre for Adelaide’s exclusive season of Pretty Woman: The Musical! Trust me, it would be a Big Mistake if you missed it. A Big , Huge mistake…  Based on the cult classic film, Pretty Woman The Musical follows Vivian Ward, a street-smart woman surviving in Hollywood, and Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who initially hires her for a week as part of a strictly transactional arrangement. As expected, the agreement quickly unravels as Vivian is pulled into Edward’s world of luxury and status. As the week progresses, they begin to realise this is more than just a fantasy, and are forced to confront their inner insecurities if they wish to have their true happy ending.  At its core, the show is about overcoming obstacles to find love, a reminder that the Cinderella dream actually requires courage and vulnerability. This is how the musical has re-angled the plot of the film to ...
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Em Rusciano: Addicted to Love → Adelaide Cabaret Festival

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  There is a reason audiences keep returning to Em Rusciano. She has built a career out of voicing the frustrations, contradictions and absurdities of womanhood with a candour that latches deep into the hearts of her fans. Fresh out of a twenty-five year marriage and stepping into the dating world again, Addicted to Love is Rusciano’s unfiltered debrief of the stories that emerged, told through a riotous comedy-cabaret.  The Dustan Playhouse is brimming with Rusciano’s biggest fans— the women of all ages, the gays, and the few straight men dragged along. She apologises to them, and the women giggle excitedly— we know these men have no idea what they are in for…  Adorned in a red leotard made to show off her “revenge body,” Rusciano wastes no time getting straight to business. She opens with Love is a Battlefield alongside her band who wear red Choose Me shirts. The scene is a clever nod to a rouge-filled romanticism. Then, her red gloves come off physically and metapho...
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Gillian Cosgriff → Adelaide Cabaret Festival

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  Equal parts quiz night and comedy cabaret, Gillian Cosgriff's interactive ‘There is Nothing Like A Game (show)!’ delivers an evening of delightfully unpredictable mayhem! This is a show for those who love silly trivia games, rivalries with neighbouring tables you just met, and musical seranations from the festival’s finest!  No stranger to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Gillian Cosgriff is an instant draw-card for cabaret-goers after a sure-fire good time! Cosgriff is an actor, singer, comedian and composer, known for her work across Australian television and the musical theatre scene. Cosgriff has won countless awards for her own cabaret shows, cementing her as one of Australia's most versatile and entertaining performers.  As the superstar host of ‘There is Nothing Like A Game!’ Cosgriff orchestrates a hoot of a late-night show! She is a master of quick-witted comedy, and keeps the show moving without any lulls in engagement. Time truly flies when you’re having fun! C...
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The Importance of Being Earnest → State Theatre Company

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  Now THIS is how you freshen up a classic! This is how you deliver a work its original author would’ve wished he could see. This, is The Importance of Being Earnest by The State Theatre Company of South Australia, directed by Petra Kalive.  Originally written by Oscar Wilde in 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest was Wilde’s final, clever dig at Victorian Society, crafting an infamous work rife with situational irony. Wilde was a Queer artist, and in a homage to what he couldn't explicitly say at the time, Kalive has chosen to ignite Wilde’s original radical sparks.  The work is simply placed in a context for modern audiences by gender-bending the roles. And as a result, it becomes a celebration of Wilde’s original intent. Wilde was known to critique the gender binary, and Kalive does this with a sharp statement that all identity is, in fact, a costume. For younger audiences who may be not as familiar with the story, this creative choice is a genius and accessible way ...
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RBG: Of Many, One → State Theatre SA

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  From the moment it begins, RBG: Of Many, demands you strap in. The whole space dims into darkness as operatic music swoons throughout the theatre. When the lights come up, there stands Heather Mitchell as Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Poised. Certain. Ready. Instantly, it's like she grabs our hands, expertly guiding us through a biographical journey through this woman’s life in real time.  In the show’s “two halves” there are clear tension points and details of her life that you wait in anticipation to be revealed. It begins with RBG awaiting a phone call from Bill Clinton to confirm her appointment to the Supreme Court. Here, Mitchel plays the role of herself, AND Clinton AND her husband Marty. The second half takes place mostly between 2013 - 2020, this time centering at a tense dinner with Obama where he questions her retirement. There are also many humorous scenes that see Mitchell lean into RBG’s iconic moments such as her ‘notorious’ meme and her TIME Magazine Cover.  Suzi...
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