Mahalia Barnes raises the roof of the Dunstan Playhouse in this celebration of women in rock
Presented by: Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 14 June 2026
Mahalia Barnes rocked the newly renovated Dunstan Playhouse today in her new show, Mahalia Barnes Sings The Rose. Mahalia, accompanied by a sizzling hot band, celebrated women in rock through the lens of the 1979 film ‘The Rose’.
‘The Rose’, which marked Bette Midler’s film debut, follows a fictional rock star through career, alcohol and drug abuse, and finally an untimely death. The original intent of the film, as explained by Mahalia, was that it was to be based on the life of Janis Joplin, but the writers, unable to get the rights to tell Janis Joplin’s life story, changed enough of the story to avoid a lawsuit. While the film itself is difficult to come by these days, the soundtrack is full of bangers that raise the roof of the Dunstan Playhouse.
Mahalia rocks her way through the soundtrack, including songs such as Sold My Soul To Rock’n’Roll, Whose Side Are You On, Stay With Me, and of course, the title song, The Rose. Her voice more than does justice to every song, with her powerhouse belt and wild rock growls letting loose in the bigger moments, while also showing control and restraint in the few quieter moments of the show. Between songs she commands the audience’s attention with a stage presence that is impossible to turn away from.
Following the songs of ‘The Rose’, Mahalia and her band continued to celebrate the trials and triumphs of women in rock with a set of some of her favourites, including hits by Janis Joplin, Renee Geyer, Tina Turner, Nina Simone, and the Divinyls. The crowd were up and dancing at multiple times during the show, particularly during River Deep, and the curtain call, Proud Mary.
As well as being an extraordinary singer, Mahalia is a true collaborator with her band, interacting with them, rejoicing in their solos and often dragging members of the band front and centre for the audience to fully appreciate their talents. And talented they truly are, featuring Clayton Doley on keys/organ/backing vocals (and duetting with Mahalia in Proud Mary), Ben Rodgers on guitar/backing vocals, Ollie Thorpe on guitar/backing vocals, Franco Raggatt on guitars, Angus Radley on bass, Mick Skelton on drums, Jack Degenhart on saxophone and Josh Chenoweth on trumpet. Each member showed their musicianship and improv skills in a solo at some point during the show, and the band also performed one of the instrumental tracks from ‘The Rose’.
The two performances of this fantastic cabaret-turned-rock-concert are over, but Mahalia Barnes is no stranger to Adelaide or the Cabaret Festival, so be sure to snag a ticket next time she is here.
Reviewed by: Kristin Stefanoff
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: The Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: ended
Duration: 75min
