Cabaret Festival

Class of Cabaret 2012 – 2012 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Presented by The Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Reviewed Sunday 17th June 2012

In 2010 the then Artistic Director, David Campbell, started a project of mentoring high school students who have a desire to perform cabaret. This proved to be very popular and he continued to do this every year. Not only did students have this great opportunity to learn, but they also were included in the Cabaret Festival programme, performing the pieces that they had been preparing.

Musical Director, Matthew Carey, and vocal coach, Kim Spargo, have continued the project this year, working with another thirty students from fourteen high schools. Once again, the standards of the performances were very high and there was a good variation in the pieces presented. There were no weak links at all in the performances, and a few standout pieces.

There was comedy, such as the alto who begged to be able to sing the melody for a change, instead of the not always tuneful harmony line. There were show tunes, poignant numbers, and a budding song and dance man who first sang superbly, then tapped his way through some very complicated steps. There was so much potential in the group that I saw. There was also some nice supportive work in a few of the numbers when the group provided backing to one of their number. Each performer also preceded their song with a short introduction of themselves, and the reason for their choice of song, an important part of cabaret that helps to establish a connection with the audience.

As in previous years, the value of this project is clearly enormous and of immense help to these young performers. It is also a good introduction to the other courses, longer that Matthew Carey and Catherine Campbell put together later in the year. It was also a good chance to see some of the future performers on the Australian and, perhaps, world cabaret scene.

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.

Cabaret Festival web site – Class of Cabaret

Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: one night only
Duration: 1hr 10mins

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