Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 12 Jun 2025
They came on stage to Sly & The Family Stone’s Everyday People, an homage to the recently departed Sly Stone.
From stage left it was the not-so-dirty three: Cameron Bruce on the Steinway grand, Vika at stage centre, then Linda.
I name them the not-so-dirty three because part way through the performance I was reminded of a night many years ago when I saw that astounding trio perform in the Big Star Basement – way back when there was a Big Star Records on Rundle Street. The way these three played with melody, worked their way around an old tune to give it a makeover and generally showed their incredible familiarity with each other’s style as they worked on the tonality of the music was just a wonder to watch.
Pianist Cameron Bruce was having fun tonight. He has worked with Vika and Linda long enough to know their voices and mannerisms. Beginning with a gospel tribute (I’m On My Way To Canaan) by Mahalia Jackson from Linda, Bruce coaxed out the call and refrain, the keys playing a fairground step and repeat with the melody. This they followed with the playful My Man’s Got a Cold. It became apparent that for a Cabaret Festival performance the three were not going to give the audience their standard set, and indeed, there was no House Of Love, When Will You Fall For Me or We’ve Started A Fire.
Things became clearer still with Tell The Angels, the title track from their 2004 album. They were taking it in turns showing off their voices to the audience, eschewing the compact harmonies which have characterised their music. Only occasionally did they step up together to their microphones; we were seeing a whole new dynamic to the pairing, and this one appeared to be led by Linda, the younger of the sisters. She worked her spell over Nina Simone’s Sinnerman, telling the audience how they had been instructed never to sing Aretha Franklin or Nina Simone songs for fear of coming off second best; they need not have worried. For my money the highpoint of the show, Raise Your Hand, a song written for them by Kasey Chambers. Stellar, a glorious tribute to a song given to them, and speaking lyrically, one of the loveliest songs I’ve heard.
It is a testament to the esteem in which these sisters are held that so many artists have happily written songs for them, handing them over with absolute trust. Names rolled casually off the tongue as they introduced various songs with stories of their involvement: Joe Camilleri, Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers, Mark Seymour, Michael Barker, and that’s without mentioning the myriad artists they have performed with. There were more songs: If I Start Today Again, Waiting On The Kid and Grandpa’s Song but as the show neared an implausibly swift end we were treated to a reworking of Never Let Me Go; it had been a signature song for them as members of the Black Sorrows. And after that to conclude with another tribute to Nina Simone, Feeling Good seemed very much like icing on the cake.
This was not the performance I had thought I was coming to see and hear, far from it. This was a different Vika & Linda, a duo who wished to show how different they could be. Peas in a pod they never were, but they were able to work around their differences and display so much individual flair because of the superb accompaniment provided by Cameron Bruce. The piano made the song structure solid, and as a result we were privy to a night to remember.
The three, Cameron, Vika, and Linda left the stage to the strains of God Only Knows, an homage to the recently passed Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson; a beautifully respectful bookending of two great artists.
Alex Wheaton
When: 12 to 13 Jun
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed
Cabaret Festival. Banquet Room. 12 June 2025
The Burton Brothers are an electric class act. Be it vaudeville, physical theatre, clowning, or sketch comedy of the ‘20s era, they execute it with a precision and accuracy as sharp as whistle, and more. The score is era authentic, costuming exact, the dazzling array of accents on point.
It takes a while to realise—as they whip through one of the most bizarre and engaging ‘historic’ hours of 1925—that there’s something stranger than strange happening here.
How clever of them. There’s a clue if you stop a second and think. 1925 – 2025. A century apart. Is there a connection?
The flashback look at the roaring ‘20s breathing in relief and loving gilded age like prosperity post WWI is all there. The excitement, unwillingness to see any negatives or darkness in years ahead ever being possible. No! It’s the best time to be alive and will never end.
But it was ending. Seeds of discontent and decay were already making themselves felt. A lost post-war generation of soldiers without purpose or hope. Better to be in the army. A rising tide of high commercialism fuelled by intense radio advertising bombardment. Heightened authoritarian religious evangelism. Sound familiar?
The boys play it all with a disturbing edge of darkness which both entertains and horrifies. It creates a delicious feeling of attraction and repulsion. An evangelist and his wife present as a terrifying creep show surely not to be taken seriously? Working to boost defence force members is a lads sing along game. The horror movies of the day’s star characters, Nosferatu and Frankenstein meet for dinner (funniest sketch of night), hinting towards the dark underside of Hollywood.
The Burton Brothers, as a friend noted, remind one of the great Australian act Los Trios Ringbaarkus. In method, yes, but in material, direction, and complexity of art they are at a different level and class altogether.
For a bent, twisted almost acid flashback like experience, you couldn’t ask for better.
David O’Brien
When: 12 June
Where: Banquet Room
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 8 Jun 2025
I don’t know why I expected to see anything other than an audience comprised primarily of over 55s, but I had hoped! As it turned out, later during the show the magnificently dignified yet debauched Carlotta—never thought I’d use those words in the same line!—conducted a little survey and found one teen to be in the audience and promptly named her “the virgin.” A few people made sequined effort with jackets but for the most part, despite Carlotta’s later observation that “Adelaide audiences dress well” an abundance of leisurewear and running shoes was evident. A fur here and a pair of stunning red suede leather boots here did little to assuage the greyness of the audience. This is Cabaret Festival, for goodness’ sake! Can we aim a little higher with the risqué flamboyance, please? But I digress!
A medley of classics, among them Can’t Take My Eyes Off You preceded Carlotta’s entrance. Adelaide’s Cabaret maestro, Michael Griffiths entered to lead the tight trio from the grand piano seamlessly weaving through a song list thematically reflecting Carlotta’s raison d'être. When the winner of the 2025 Adelaide Cabaret Festival Icon Award took to the stage, resplendent in a magnificent jade green sequined gown, silver head and neck pieces and a sumptuous purple feather boa, it was clear the show would live up to reputation! The Kings Cross legend regaled us with stories of the past and assured us that “when you’re good to Carlotta, Carlotta is good to you!” This “poor old boiler” can still belt out a song, her voice strong and clear and, when needed, well supported by Griffiths.
Carlotta’s lamentations—half tongue in cheek, half serious—about aging, framed by the fact she will be 82 in September and met with a cheer, set up wonderful shtick. “What’s there to cheer about!?! Aging’s a shit! In the bathroom mirror I look like a Dugong with lipstick!” Such self-deprecating humour, skilfully balanced with political barbs, risqué comments to hapless individuals and barbed socio-political insights, show why this remarkable octogenarian hasn’t been out of work since she was sixteen! Dismissing political correctness as having “ruined a lot in this country,” this feisty chanteuse launched into a fabulous rendition of Rodgers and Hart’s 1937 show tune The Lady Is a Tramp. Carlotta’s recollections of meeting a range of greats like Debbie Reynolds while performing at RSL and Leagues Clubs segued nicely into generous praise for the abundant talent in Australia and closed with dropping the name “Barry Manilow” into the conversation before launching into a heartfelt rendition of I Write the Songs. A spirited rendition of Peter Allen’s I Go To Rio by Griffith saw a spectacular costume change and duet followed by some charmingly crass repartee. Observations of the dire state of the world made I Still Call Australia Home deeply warming while a quick little Q&A revealed the travails of being ‘different’ in the monoculture of Australia in the 1960s.
Carlotta has little time for whingers and has clearly endured more than her fair share of the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” However, there is no pathos here, simply matter of fact observations of what was. Michael Griffiths’ stood out with JPY’s 1978 smash hit Love Is In the Air, penned by the dynamic Vanda and Young, a song that simply keeps on keeping on, to cover the final costume change. To close, Gloria Gaynor’s I Am What I Am and Sinatra’s My Way were belted out with warranted ferocity while, sadly, Elaine Strich’s wonderfully defiant I’m Still Here, signaled Carlotta’s exit from the stage she has commanded for so long. Carlotta is, perhaps, “more famous than Ita Buttrose.” She has certainly paved the way for entertainers and audiences alike to unashamedly “be!”
The party may well be over, but what a way to go!
John Doherty
When: 8 Jun 2025
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Space Theatre. 7 Jun 2025
Rizo’s Home is an absorbing, liquorice allsorts Neo Cabaret.
Home’s structure is ever so subtle; delicately laced with hippy culture, intertwined with classic cabaret dress tropes, a hint of circus, a dash of shadow puppetry, German Kabaret, and 1930s Hollywood glam, alongside 1970s pop glam
Rizo describes the show as a “happening.” It certainly is.
The first deftly played 10 minutes were enough in themselves to prove the night an audience pleaser.
Beginning with a relaxed bluesy number, Rizo’s person is hidden within a ballooning white dress. The dress is then lifted off her by a rope to the ceiling, revealing her in black panties and nipple caps, before she redresses in a black shoulderless pant suit.
Home as a theme proves incredibly fruitful, emotive and comic material in Rizo’s hands. Her own songs with a pop standard here and there, bookend spoken word that embraces what ‘home’ can be in a multitude of ways we never thought of.
And that voice! Rizo has an extraordinary range that can switch from growl to high note in a millisecond without effort. Sadness of the always travelling artist sits alongside a confident Jewish New Yorker formed from an ambitious hippy kid in Oregon.
Each story feels like visiting a different room in Rizo’s life. They’re all connected, but so strangely dissonant in extremes of joy, sadness, hope and achievement. Somehow, Rizo’s performance holds all these strands together within a street smart happy go lucky persona, brilliantly capable of accommodating a life of excessive experience.
Rizo’s band are the finest unit you could want backing you. So accomplished and assured in their ability—segueing from blues to Jazz and pop rock without you really noticing. A band totally made for Rizo’s rich anarchic voice, as her voice is perfect for that band.
A night not without tech niggles here and there, which Rizo brilliantly handled, one being a laugh out loud moment involving a stage hand. If there’s anything out of place, the balance between song and spoken word segments could be tightened, allowing greater flow to the production.
David O’Brien
When: 7 to 8 Jun
Where: Space Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Cabaret Festival. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 7 Jun 2025
The first Adelaide Cabaret Festival took place in May 2001. This year, 2025, marks the 25th year of the festival which has run annually since its inception, warming the crisp winter nights of June in Adelaide.
Whilst this year’s event lacks the usual activation of Festival Plaza—with crackling braziers, live music, and heart-warming cocktails that herald the Cab Fest’s arrival—the programme of performers is still exceptionally strong.
None more so than headliner, Jacob Collier, whose two shows completely sold-out months ahead of the actual event.
Collier is somewhat revered as a musical ‘prodigy’. Hailing from North London, he first gained attention in 2012 with a series of viral YouTube videos that showcased his multi-instrumental arrangements.
Collier is known for his playful performances which showcase his command of live-looping, polyrhythms, and microtonalities. He takes well-known songs and completely reimagines them, deconstructing and then rebuilding them in his own unique musical language, adding complex jazz chords, unexpected modulations, layered vocal harmonies and intricate rhythmic shifts. He celebrates disharmony and atonality, and, together with his audience interaction and participation, is infectious to watch.
For his opening night Adelaide show we are treated not to a curated performance, but to ‘Cabaret’ as he defines it, “the opportunity to be completely free in performance, where there are no rules”. What we are treated to instead, is just over 90 minutes watching Collier ‘play’; in the childlike rather than musical sense of the word.
The show opens with a rendition of Pure Imagination from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The piece is nostalgic for many in the audience, but Collier’s construction is only reminiscent of the original, and his playful melody transports the piece to a whole new level.
Other covers include Georgia on My Mind, - Ray Charles (1960), Norwegian Wood - The Beatles (1965), Can’t Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli (1967), and Beyond the Sea, popularised by Bobby Darin in 1959. Collier also includes a few of his original numbers, and one suspects he is taken aback by the audience’s knowledge of his work. The Sun Is in Your Eyes (Voice Memo) (2020), All I Need (2020) which somehow morphs into Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison (1967), and the much loved Little Blue (2024) all by Collier, feature, with the latter including the audience on the chorus and harmonies.
When an audience member calls out for a rendition of Time Alone with You (2020), Collier, ever the generous performer, humorously admits it might be too much for his one-man show. But, true to his playful spirit, he teaches us the second part of the song and gives it an impassioned attempt, switching between tunings on his electric 5-string guitar as he plays. It's a wonderfully fun and engaging moment, showcasing his spontaneity and dedication.
Collier effortlessly shifts between instruments all night, at one point playing both grand piano and his custom 5-string acoustic guitar in Little Blue. For a cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love, by Elvis Presley (1961) the piano-synth hybrid is employed along with vocal modulation. Beginning with an almost delicate, reverent touch, Collier gradually expands the harmonic palette using lush extended chords, microtonal inflections, and unexpected key changes. The result creates a sense of floating tension and release, which bends the emotional tone of the song, making it feel intimate yet somehow cosmic.
Collier’s banter with the audience is effortless, creating an atmosphere of warmth and familiarity. It is a masterclass in engagement. His enthusiasm for music is infectious, and throughout the night, it feels like we’re all part of a private, joyful jam session in his living room. One moment, cross-legged atop his piano stool, he thoughtfully reflects on the question, “What is music?” His answer is simple but profound: “Music is the universal language of the world, it connects people across cultures and borders, fostering understanding and empathy”.
And connected we are. In that audience, on this night, we all understood Jacob completely. It’s a thoughtful, almost meditative experience watching him ‘play’. With each song, you can’t help but feel transported, caught up in the magic of his creativity. It is a performance that leaves you smiling, not just because of the music, but because of the unspoken connection Collier creates with his audience.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 to 8 June
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: Sold Out