Arts

Cabaret Festival Review: Lady Rizo: Multiplied

The long-lashed, red-lipped, cabaret star, Lady Rizo, fabulously returns to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival – but this time she’s not alone!

Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed 22 June 2017

The long-lashed, red-lipped, cabaret star, Lady Rizo, fabulously returns to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival – but this time she’s not alone!

Lady Rizo, otherwise known as Amelia Zirin-Brown, has come a long way (and not just on the plane here from New York). Her gypsy-like, performer lifestyle, which included late-night drinking and dancing sessions and many special “friends” around the world, has transformed into that of a devoted, responsible (still sleep deprived) mother, and this transition is what her show Multiplied is about.

Rizo’s performance feels real and almost like an open-dialogue with the audience. She brings the good, the bad and the ugly of her life to the stage including experiences such as almost vomiting on stage due to being nauseous from pregnancy, hilariously shutting down a woman who shamed her for breast-feeding in Ikea, and the fact that her ideal birth would be on-stage in front of a crowd.

Lady Rizo’s glamorous and glitzy outfits throughout the night are to die for as she carries on her legacy as being one of the most fabulously dressed performers in cabaret. Rizo’s dazzling outfits include a shimmering, gold dress contrasting a tight, slinky little-black-dress, all matched with a bold red lip and bouncing blonde curls (2016 Lady Gaga – is that you?)

Not only is Lady Rizo a glitzy and glamorous host, but she also has powerhouse vocals that will knock you out of your chair! I mean it – this woman can sing, and in a variety of ways; from a powerful, emotionally-charged voice (similar to that of Lady Gaga) to a deep, soulful, Adele-like style.

Rizo is backed by acclaimed cellist, guitarist and composer, Yair Evnine, who has just been working on the Broadway smash hit Waitress starring Sara Bareilles. It is obvious that the pair has worked together for many years, and their fantastically engaging original songs are a testament to a professional partnership that works very, very well.

Be prepared for a very intimate performance with this cabaret star as audience participation plays a large part within the show. From inviting you up to her bosom, intensely questioning you about your relationship with your mother and getting up close and very personal with her crowd, you can tell Lady Rizo is definitely a hands-on mother – the hands-on is just not limited to her son!

Multiplied also provides one of the most raw and loving mother-child moments that there possibly has ever been on-stage. Leaving the audience gasping at the surreal beauty of the moment, this is the absolute highlight of the show and is something you will probably never see anywhere else.

The glitz, the glamour – and the child! Multiplied is a fabulous, fun and flirty night out with a cabaret superstar/mother and is not to be missed!

Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox

Rating out of 5:  4

Venue: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Riverbank Lawns, Adelaide CBD
Season:  22 – 24 June
Duration:  70 mins
Tickets:  $41.90 – $56.90
Bookings:  Adelaide Festival Centre

 

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