Get out your giant martini glass and nipple tassels (or don’t) because the world’s most famous burlesque star, Dita Von Teese, is coming to Adelaide!
In what is a huge announcement, Adelaide will play host to the talented beauty when she hits town for this year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Her show appropriately named Burlesque: Strip, Strip Horray! has sold out across the US and is set to wow Adelaide audiences. The 90 minute spectacle sees Dita perform her most impressive work. Described by Vanity Fair as the Meryl Streep of burlesque, Dita is the embodiment of a retro Vargas pinup girl from the 40s and having her in Adelaide will be a real treat.
But that isn’t all… After Barry Humphries put the ‘F’ back into the Festival last year, 2016’s co-Artistic Directors Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect prepare us for what else is to come…
Co-Artistic Director Ali McGregor says “Cabaret is at a turning point with a long and rich history, and a bright and exciting future. We have made a point of celebrating the icons of Cabaret, and aspects that have shaped it; political satire, songbook interpretation, comedy, burlesque – while reveling in the new and unique ways artists are working in the genre. We also wanted to represent a snapshot of where cabaret is on the international stage, how different works are being created and to showcase just how strong and inspiring many Australian acts are on the international stage. But above all of this, we have programmed acts that we LOVE.”
Co-Artistic Director Eddie Perfect says “My relationship with Cabaret as a performer and writer has convinced me that the possibilities of what Cabaret can be are only limited by imagination. What Cabaret has going for it in spades is immediacy. It’s an art form that values communication with an audience above all else, and it can be refreshingly, shockingly and seductively direct.
Minister for the Arts the Hon. Jack Snelling MP says, “The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, now in its 16th year is Adelaide’s premier winter festival. It is the largest cabaret festival in the world and a much loved Australian event, attracting audiences and artists from around the country.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier says, “A very warm welcome to our new Adelaide Cabaret Festival co-Artistic Directors, Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect, who have created an outstanding program that includes dazzling world premieres, remarkable collaborations and a diverse range of work from Australia and all over the globe.”
Proudly presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, the 2016 program features more than 425 Artists in 150 performances over 16 days and nights. There are 42 international artists from as far afield as the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom and Germany as well as the best from Australia with over 383 Australian artists including 182 from South Australia. The 2016 Festival showcases 6 world premieres, 8 Australian premieres, 35 Adelaide premieres as well as 13 Adelaide exclusives. The vibrant program also features 11 international shows.
The Festival kicks off on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend with the perennially popular Variety Gala, a glittering night of stories and song. Artistic Directors Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect play host to a supercharged showcase of international and local stars flaunting their cabaret wares. The annual “Cabaret Icon Award” will also be presented to a cabaret luminary.
Megan Hilty, critically acclaimed star of stage and screen, is also set to shine when she performs in Adelaide, along with Helen Dallimore, who played opposite Idina Menzel and has been a constant favourite on our small screen, Ms Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton and so many more.
The full program is available here. Tickets are already on sale to subscribers and go on sale to the general public Wednesday 6 April through through BASS 131 246 or online.