The Divine Miss Bette

The Divine Miss Bette Cabaret Festival 2024Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Catherine Alcorn. Dunstan Playhouse. 13 Jun 2024

 

From the moment Catherine Alcorn’s hugely bewigged head pokes through the curtains, you know you’re in for a fun night. What you don’t know is that The Divine Miss Bette quickly moves into a remarkably fine-honed theatrical experience that goes far beyond what one expects from a ‘tribute’ show.

 

There are two levels at work here: Alcorn has studied Bette Midler’s style and mannerisms and worked very hard at emulating them. She has the Midler mince and moue down pat, almost disturbingly so. But behind the spangles, eye flutters and vocal mannerisms, Catherine Alcorn is clearly at work, and every now and then she pops out to let you know that.

 

The show opens raucously with Friends (from Midler’s 1972 debut album ‘The Divine Miss M’) and in an indication that this will not be religiously Midler, the Staggering Harlettes, also big wigged and sequinned, vibe to The Who’s, Who Are You. Acknowledging her backup singers Misty (Kat Hoyos), Fisty (Chloe Marshall), and Vendetta (Karla Hillam) and band (Musical Director and piano, Benjamin Kiehne, Crick Boue on Bass, Sam Leske on electric and acoustic guitar with Ben Todd on drums), it’s straight into a boogie belter with Glen Miller’s In The Mood – you wait for it to segue into Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy but she stops short; and you know it’s a tease.

 

The band is restrained, as you know they must be. Even as the Harlettes are pulling moves from the Ike & Tina Review the band is cool, laidback, Sam Leske pulls a lick or two out of the Telecaster, changes guitars without being noticed, then polishes the 70s wah perfectly, but never raises a sweat. Clearly it is not in the bassist’s contract to raise a sweat either. Cool as cucumbers, he and drummer Todd.

 

Alcorn’s between song patter is what takes this show past tribute and into full music theatre. In her Divine Madness concert video, Midler pays homage to American vaudevillian Sophie Tucker and Alcorn happily intersperses songs with Sophie’s signature phrase “I’ll never forget it you know!” and tells some pretty blue jokes; Alcorn doesn’t resile from these, and they create some pretty funny engagement with the crowd.

 

In the main, this production is about Bathhouse Bette, the sassy, bawdy woman who played gay bathhouses in the ‘seventies, but every so often, the pensive, passionate Bette appears. Alcorn’s skills are such that the audience has barely finished chuckling at one of her bon mots when they are jolted into introspection with songs such John Prine’s, Hello In There or the Beatles’, In My Life.

 

The Harlettes take the spotlight for a moment and take on TLC’s, Waterfalls – not the most successful number of the evening, but entertaining nonetheless.

There’s a small break for a costume change; Bette and the Harlettes appear looking like red Christmas ornaments as they sashay across the stage. She baits her audience… most amusingly takes the piss out of The Rose – “I’m sick of singing this! You sing it!” and the audience dutifully does. At this stage they’d do anything for her. From A Distance becomes a serenade from the balcony, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy finally turns up, interspersed with a rousing rendition of Beyonce’s, Single Ladies.

 

The close encapsulates the spirit of the show; the curtain comes down, the band keeps playing, then Catherine Alcorn appears as herself, stunning in black. She gives a laden and wonderful speech about how she got here, and the entire audience considers they have just been told it took 12 long years for this show to be accepted into the Cabaret Festival fold. Madness. This show is as assured, as sassy, as capable and as technically adept as it is possible to be. It is also the very spirit of cabaret, and in closing with a beautiful rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings (as herself), Catherine Alcorn earns a standing ovation. It is fitting.

 

Arna Eyers-White

 

When: 13 to 15 Jun

Where: Dunstan Playhouse

Bookings: Closed

Lambs

Lambs Adelaide 2024Free Agents Youth Theatre. Goodwood Theatre and Studios. 13 June 2024

 

Underage conscription in WWI happened despite its illegality. Free Agents Youth Theatre’s Lambs delves into the how, why and at what cost.

 

Director/Writer Sean Riley’s production, developed over a two-year process with the cast has produced one of the richest, deeply considered and powerfully written hours of staged new theatre of 2024.

 

Lambs tackles that ‘one day of the year’ sociopolitical trope minus all the usual ANZAC mythology and virtue signalling, going directly to the realities at the core of 1900s Australia.

 

Australia is newly federated yet still colonial in heart and mind. England is still home. The Bush still heart of an agriculturally grounded society; yet it is a place to escape.

The world of Boys’ Own adventures and the ‘manly pursuit of honour’ fuels the extraordinary power of the production’s opening scene, encapsulating the spirit of the production’s intent as a whole.

 

“Once more unto the breach”, Shakespeare’s famed line from Henry The Fifth, utters Stanley Lamb (Eadan McGuiness) crouched on all fours in uniform as battle sound rages. A scene which quickly segues into a school group learning the play. A group eagerly discussing the oncoming potential of war. What is the breach? The trenches of France to come, unknown to teenage boys for whom war is a grand patriotic manly adventure.

 

It is Stanley and brothers Phillip (Hugo de Guzman) and Joseph (Jack Chadwick) whose fates illustrate choices made and the systems allowing them.

 

This smashing together of imagery and time in Riley’s writing and direction is a distinctive, deftly managed, powerful force of the production. Its narrative fuses present day bush town of St Judes and future trench warfare. Lambs traces the struggle between overt pro-war social attitudes, diminishing numbers of soldiers, and implicit but never spoken of acceptance of underage conscripts. It tears at family and community.

 

The work is at times chilling, heart-warming, and mournfully reflective, leaving you breathless often.

 

Riley’s cast is a powerful ensemble of extraordinary young actors, filling Riley’s intensely reflective, powerful and innocent characters’ dialogue and experiences with profoundly aware performances.

 

In their youth, even when playing roles older than themselves alongside those their own age, the cast absolutely accentuate the opportunistic barbarity of the desperate war times that accept child soldiers.

 

In partnership with Kim Liotta’s sparsely dressed set, Nic Mollison’s on point, scene defining light design, Eadan and Justin McGuiness of Little Fire Film’s mesmerising effective video design, and Composer Doctor Oscillator’s careful, mournful out of tune pianola score, Lambs is a complete world that could be a dream of the past, but is in fact emblematic of a lesser acknowledged truth of Australia’s WWI history.

 

David O’Brien

 

When: 13 to 15 June

Where: Goodwood Theatre and Studios

Bookings:Closed

Cirque du Soleil – Luzia

Cirque du Soleil LuziaAdelaide Show Grounds. 12 Jun 2024

 

Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia is a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, intricate costumes, and gravity-defying performances. It is a mesmerising homage to the spirit of Mexico, rich with cultural symbolism and vibrant imagery. The 38th production since 1984, Luzia first premiered in 2016 and is the second tribute to the richness of Mexican culture – the first being Joyà in 2014.

 

Nestled within the infamous Cirque du Soleil ‘big top’, audiences discover a circular stage, replete with a veritable garden of Cempasuchil flowers (Yellow, or Aztec Marigolds). This is a stage designed for performance in the round, and when it revolves it ensures a prime view for every seat in the house.

 

“Fasten your seatbelts” we are told, as the lights dim; a solitary skydiver descending from the big top’s apex. It is Eric Koller – physical comedian and clown – parachuting into our hearts and minds. Arguably the heart and sole of Luzia, Koller weaves his simple narrative throughout the production, showcasing his impeccable timing and a boundless expressive range.

 

The dreamlike world of Luzia is then brought to life by Olivia Aepli as the ‘Running Woman’. She is accompanied by a majestic metallic horse puppet which dominates the stage and commands our attention. Aepli, clad in a stunning, expansive costume of the monarch butterfly, spreads her enormous butterfly wings and signals the beginning of our migratory journey.

 

An exhilarating ‘Hoop Diving’ performance follows where the cast, dressed as vibrant hummingbirds, bring the stage to life with spectacular tumbling and impeccable timing. Each performer soars and twists through the hoops with breathtaking precision, their feathered costumes creating the illusion of a flock in flight.

 

Then, in ‘Adagio’ – which is a nod to the golden age of Mexican cinema - the ‘flyer’ (Naomi Zimmerman / Anastasia Gorbatyuk), with the utmost poise and unwavering trust, places her life in the hands of her three ‘porters’ (Roberto Carlos Freitas Grispach, Anton Glazkov, Krzysztof Holowenko), creating a breathtaking display of human connection and courage. Each hand-to-hand throw and catch is testament to the profound trust and teamwork of the performers as she is flipped and hurled through the air; the elegance and grace, perfectly juxtaposed with real danger and genuine risk. There are no safety nets here, folks. No crash mats to catch a fall.

 

Tall, dominating cacti are silhouetted against the setting sun as Enya White then takes to the trapeze in a sensual collaboration with a cyr wheel artist (Sarah Togni / Shena Tschofen) amongst a cascading waterfall that descends from the heavens. Together the women create a seamless blend of strength and fluidity, each swing and spin echoing the rhythm of the falling water. The water becomes part of their dance as the droplets leap from their spinning and swinging bodies.

 

The name ‘Luzia’ is actually a fusion of two Spanish words that mean ‘light’ and ‘rain’, both core elements in this show’s creation. The lighting is exceptional throughout, but at this early stage we have barely scratched the surface where the water is concerned.

 

Koller returns with beachball and whistle in hand. It is clowning at its best as he takes the audience on an epic storytelling journey with nothing but his skilful expressions and the aid of the whistle. The audience are putty in his hands, just begging to be shaped and manipulated.

 

Then continuing the theme of the beach, and re-enforcing 1920s Mexican cinema, strongman Ugo Laffolay demonstrates his exceptional physical strength and balance atop a dangerously tall stack of hand-balancing poles. Then footballers, Abou Traoré and Igo Da Silva Matos wow us with their exceptional soccer ball juggling abilities in a nod to the highly celebrated Mexican sport. They kick, flip, spin, and even breakdance(!) with consummate skill.

 

When Koller again returns, shortly before intermission, to take on the ‘rain’ and attempt to fill his drink bottle, everyone in the house is left in stitches. Impressively, the shower of water begins to depict elements of the native flora and fauna of Mexico.  

 

After intermission the set continues its transformation. Luzia is filled with references to Mexican cinema, art, handicraft, religion and history including a giant suspended orb that features as a major part of the set and is variously lit or projected onto throughout the production. It is affectionately titled the ‘Disk of Luzia’. The disk is said to reference the sun, the moon and the Aztec calendar.

 

The following performances of ‘Masts and Poles’ and then Krzysztof Holowenko’s 360 degree rotation on a giant swing wearing a luchador mask continue the Mexican themes. Though the production’s emotional pinnacle is reached, however, when Jérome Sordillon takes to the Aerial straps, as singer Majo Cornejo elicits spine tingling tones with her exceptional vocalisations.

 

Sordillon, representing a “demigod of rain” emerges on the aerial strap from a pool centre stage. The pool references a naturally occurring Mayan sinkhole which were believed to be “gateways to the afterlife”. Sordillon performs a mesmerising dance with a life-size panther puppet brought to life by puppeteers, Gerardo Ballester and Andrii Lytvak, in a performance where man and beast seem to become one. Here, the sequencing, choreography, production values, and music are so perfectly executed as to be emotionally overwhelming! It is indeed a spectacle to behold.

 

With this hard act to follow, Ivan Do-Duc has his work cut out, but does not fail to amaze with his tricks on the bicycle. Then contortionist, Aleksei Goloborodko, divides the audience, with many turning to look away as he demonstrates almost unnatural levels of flexibility. One sits in astonishment, marvelling at Goloborodko’s exquisite control and balance as he twists and bends into seemingly impossible shapes.

 

The closing act, entitled ‘Swing to Swing’ brings home the ever-present danger for this troupe of performers, as not one, but three, fail to land complex flips between apparatus. It is a chilling reminder – and not the first of the evening – of the courage and sheer will these talented individuals bring to bear each and every night.

 

As the evening draws to its conclusion and the artists take their bows, many of the opening night audience spring to their feet in a round of well-earned adulation. This is a night much loved by those in attendance, and one I suspect many will speak of for days and weeks to come.

 

Get in on the experience. This is not a show to be missed.

 

Paul Rodda

 

When: 9 Jun to 7 Jul

Where: Adelaide Show Grounds

Bookings: cirquedusoleil.com

Bumbling

Bumbling Cabaret Festival 2024Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Quartet Bar. Isobel Marmion, Caitlin Ellen Moore and Kidaan Zelleke. This show is a work in progress. 9 June 2024

 

Pop culture may soon have a new buzz word – ‘Bumbling’.

 

Bumbling began life a few years ago as an Adelaide Festival Centre InSpace project.

It’s a quirky blend of immersive theatre, guided Adelaide pub crawl tales, pop fizz tragicomic rom com, and a large dash of bee science.

 

Bee science is a very, very important element. Keep bumble(ing)bee in the back of your mind. An insect social anthropology project sort of thing.

Got it? Ok.

Isobel Marmion is pumped, dancing about in a pink clubbing dress as the audience saunters in. She is a total 90s chick.

When the show starts proper, out comes a script dripping with the best rom-com style, new writing in ages. Marmion endears herself to the audience instantly.

 

This off beat, sweet, bee loving girl had her heart broken on Valentine’s Day by a guy she’s been heavily into while he’s been heavily, unwillingly into her. She buys 11 books on bees the next day, and decides the audience are going to help her have a ‘recovery night’.

We are informed St Valentine is patron of lovers and beekeepers. Ah, a plot point begins to form and so gradually thicken.

 

Search for love, cruising Adelaide’s pubs and clubs with gal pals, is quietly hooked to the social behaviour of bees, their ‘hive’ as the show progresses.

What else is love, but sweet nectar? What else is a bunch a girls on the town but a swarm of happy bees seeking good times while maintaining the hives social status quo?

 

Marmion beautifully articulates a sense of herself as a vulnerable little bee subject to the joys and dangers they face from the environment they find themselves in.

 

Keeping things interesting, Marmion always has her mobile phone at hand. Despite doing a show! The heartless guy actually sent a text! Audience members are selected to mind the phone and told to stop the show if he replies!

 

Kidaan Zelleke’s direction is smoothly understated. Roaming the space and mastering the production’s pace is key to its success given how pivotal audience involvement is.

 

Successfully meshing the audience with the work itself is the hidden genus of Bumbling in its current form.

 

What is Bumbling? Seeking the nectar of night life, club to pub, as flower to flower!

 

David O’Brien

 

When: 8 to 9 Jun

Where: Quarter Bar

Bookings: Closed

Kate Miller-Heidke - Catching Diamonds

Kate Miller Heidke Catching Diamonds Cabaret Festival 2024Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 8 Jun 2024

 

It’s easy to wax lyrical about Kate Miller-Heidke. I’ve seen her a few times over the years, and not only does she never disappoint, she’s now ageing like a fine wine. Sometimes brittle in her early years, she has developed into a mature and oh-so-smooth entertainer, one of Australia’s most iconic and revered female artists. There, I’ve gone and waxed again.

 

While operatically trained, Miller-Heidke has always given the nod to a broad range of contemporary musics, and tonight was no exception, as we opened with a blast of AC-DC. Short-lived, but funny.

 

The set opened with Fire and Iron, and as she sang of the love and life lost, you could hear a pin drop. But bar for the susurration of pleasure that seeped through the theatre, no-one was moving.

 

This is a pared back show, essentially Miller Heidke and music director / accompanist and life partner (baby daddy?) Keir Nuttal on acoustic six string guitar. She’s joined on a number of songs by vocalist Jess Hitchcock (whose own show A Fine Romance opens on June 13). It’s the sparseness that allows the songs to really shine through and showcase the basics – Miller-Heidke and Nuttal’s playing and arrangements. At times there’s an intimacy between them that almost feels like we’re intruding, such is the subliminal communication between them.

 

Miller-Heidke is a storyteller but they’re not always the beginning-middle-end kind of narrative. Songs like Sarah, which tells of a young woman who was drugged and abducted from a music festival, leaves us hanging; what happened? Sarah has no memory, and the guilt seems to lie more with Miller-Heidke than the abductor – how could she have let this happen to her friend?

 

A quick foray into Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, which Miller-Heidke wrote with Nuttal, has the audience chuckling through Amazing; this was an opportunity for Miller-Heidke and Hitchcock to have a lot of fun with their vocal duet, and fun they had!

 

Miller-Heidke has a dry sense of humour, and she’s not afraid to poke fun at herself and drop in a self-deprecating comment, as evidenced by the story of her first single and the comments from ABC listeners, one of whom never wanted to hear it again. Unfortunately he was the only caller…

 

Pulling us back to the personal, we are jolted with a song about “dancing on the grave of an arsehole”. The incredibly powerful You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore is visceral; the anger and rage Miller-Heidke feels about her childhood abuser is transmogrified to a powerful statement of survival and endurance. Who lives, wins.

 

Keir Nuttall is an absolute pleasure to listen to. While he exhibits great chord voicings, he is virtuosic in his leads and creates a room of sound with loops and popping rhythms, and the way these two work together with just keyboard and guitar is genius. This reaches its apotheosis in Humiliation with its extended solo and raucous outro.

 

Words gets an airing, as does the haunting Last Day On Earth and the always gut-wrenching Caught In The Crowd.

 

And course we couldn’t have a show without a nod to her Eurovision entry, or as English host Graham Norton described it, the “singing windscreen wiper”. For my money, Zero Gravity should have won the bloody thing – it had everything! Most of all, it’s a great song, and with Hitchcock and Nuttall joining in, she absolutely nailed it – again.

 

Talking Heads Psycho Killer ended out the set (interspersed with a bit of Stairway To Heaven from Nuttal) with a Paint It Black intervention and again we were treated to an impresario performance; the vocal gymnastics performed by Miller-Heidke left us in no doubt that she is at the top of her game, and we are the better for having been there to witness it.

 

The audience gave her a standing ovation. I’m generally a bit of a sceptic as to the veracity of most standing ovations in Adelaide; audiences appear to give them in grateful obeisance for having a good time, and there have been occasions where I feel I’m in a parallel universe. In this instance; brava.

 

Arna Eyers-White

 

When: 8 to 9 Jun

Where: Dunstan Playhouse

Bookings: Closed

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