Frankie McNair has hit it out of the park with their next instalment in the life of Hollywood Diva – Tabitha Booth
Presented by: Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 12 June, 2026
Once again Frankie McNair has hit it out of the park with their next instalment in the life of Hollywood Diva – Tabitha Booth.
Set in the high time of television variety shows, the late 1960s, the audience is greeted to the carnage that is pre-taping. Stage managers, crew and hosts wind their way through the incoming patrons with typical fervour and freakouts.
What follows is cleverly contracted entropy. Mc Nair’s Booth is both gloriously talented and unstable, taking the audience through Booth’s journey into a performer’s worst nightmare: Obscurity.
Booth is a carefully created character with individualised vocal affectations, well timed physical theatre, and a unique way of dragging the attention back to her. McNair has an unnerving ability to create humour out of any scenario leaving some of the audience losing their breath from laughing too hard.
The humour lies in the dichotomy of Booth, her life as an obviously powerful and strong actress in the cutthroat world of old Hollywood and early television versus her undeniable insecurities that make her familiar to those watching. Booth responds sometimes in ways we wish we could, with pure unadulterated passion and hilariousness.
As the “live” variety hour progresses the intrusions into Booth’s psyche become more and more absurd to the point of her “This is your Life” moment with a formidable and hilariously terrifying piece of cutlery.
Issac Hayes is an outstanding “straight” guy to Booth’s cyclone. Hayes’ late-night host is the smooth, suited charm of the Rat Pack minus the creepiness and sexism. His portrayal gives the audience another view Booth, as Hayes supports without question or advantage to himself, the talent that overawes him. This reviewer was incredibly impressed that Hayes didn’t simply slide into the creepy/handsy type of host a lot of the real ones at that time were.
Guest performers Auntie Johnny and Victoria Falconer gloriously added to the extreme talent on show.
McNair ended the show with their signature stunning voice, further cementing them in the audience’s heart.
Despite a long running time this show was a riot from start to finish, showing that Frankie McNair and their team are vastly talented Australians, deserving of their place on these and even larger stages.
Reviewed by Cara Brown
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: ended
Duration: 90mins
