Presented by Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Reviewed 9 June 2017
The Variety Gala Performance is always seen as a teaser of what the Adelaide Cabaret Festival has to offer. Featuring well known acts and with Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect as hosts there is certainly plenty to get excited about this year.
The fabulously feathered cast of Briefs opened the show with a sexy and flesh exposing burlesque number followed with a great but for some reason discarded opening song from Perfect’s musical Beetlejuice performed by McGregor and Perfect.
It was the opening to what would be a fantastic night of top class entertainment.
There were raucous laughs as Murray Hill captivated in an MC role with the usual sarcastic and fabulously funny style using a few unfortunate and almost unwilling participants in the audience to provide a few cheap chuckles while Dillie Keane gave us a hilarious and filthy picture of sex in your more senior years.
Gillian Cosgriff demonstrated why her show To the Moon and Back is not to be missed while Sarah-Louise Young and Michael Roulston were an absolute highlight singing about why they are not a perfect match from their show Songs for Lovers (and other idiots).
There was plenty of drama as Christie Whelan-Brown entertained with a humorous and touching song from Vigil written by Steve Vizard and Naomi Price showed off her fabulous voice with a Beatles cover Eleanor Rigby from her show Lady Beatle.
The Three Mikados, Colin Lane, David Collins and Amy G delighted Gilbert and Sullivan fans with their funny rendition of To Sit in Solemn Silence.
Australian cabaret icon Carlotta amused with a song about her long and ground breaking career and Michael Griffiths got the crowd literally dancing in their seats to Better the Devil You Know from his new show Lucky: Songs by Kylie.
The hosts entertained some more too with McGregor captivating the audiences with a dramatic flown entrance for her solo while Perfect sang an absolutely beautiful rendition of Quiet from the Tim Minchin hit musical Matilda.
In the high energy finale the 2017 Class of Cabaret joined McGregor, Perfect, Griffiths, Cosgriff and Price on stage to close the show with a spectacular medley leaving the crowd absolutely buzzing.
From humour to honesty, sexy to sublime and from poignant to party the 2017 Adelaide Cabaret Festival seems to have it all and the Variety Gala Performance was a fabulous celebration of its arrival.
Reviewed by Ceri Hutton
Twitter: @Ceri_Hutton
Rating (out of 5): 5
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: 9th and 10th June
Duration: 90mins
Tickets: $39.95 – $79.00
Bookings: Book online through the Adelaide Cabaret Festival website or phone BASS on 131 246
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