An infectious and inspiring randomness that Bowditch and her performers want you to experience every day of your life without fear
Presented by: Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 6 June, 2025
Claire Bowditch brings you right back to the start of her musical performance journey in this one hour celebration of song and life.
Taking the stage on her own to minimal fanfare, newcomers to her works are introduced to a humble, insightful and friendly persona, one which immediately makes all in the audience at ease.
Bowditch engages in crowd interaction immediately, chatting and setting the foundations for what is to come, breaking down those hesitant barriers some audience members arrive with.
Backed by a sensational four piece band, her first few songs are a mix of nostalgia and self penned pieces. Bowditch’s voice is truly one of Australia’s great sounds, she transfixes the listener in a folky calm and then opens her soul as she soars through belting moments like a bird on an updraft.
Asking those present to challenge their thinking of self and look deeper, each story and song is about growth and self belief. Sharing stories of gain and loss Bowditch wants you to believe in the creative within everyone, especially yourself. There is no age limit nor is there a skill limit with paper and textas supplied on tables for those to draw or create as the performance is going on.
Joined by a lifetime friend, Aurora Kurth, Bowditch then introduces us to the beauty of shared creativity through a shivering bliss of acapella as their voices meld. Kurth herself gives us cabaret numbers full of unbridled energy, rolling the crowd into her literal arms as she moves amongst them.
Random the title may be and random the songs may seem, this performance holds an underlying collective message for the audience, it challenges your personal introspection to look into the positive, through all the murk of everyday life, to find your personal spark without having to compare to anyone else. Bowditch tells the audience “Your story is not over” no matter where you are in your life.
Bowditch is one of the great Australian story tellers in song and prose. Her holistic ability to transport her listener to the time and place she recalls is matched only by her deep sense of love for her music, family, the audience and most of all her art.
Random Creative Adventure is just that, an infectious and inspiring randomness that Bowditch and her performers want you to experience every day of your life without fear.
Reviewed by Cara Brown
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: 6 – 7 June, 2025
More News
