Presented by the Feast Festival
Reviewed 22 November 2014
Michael Griffiths has just turned 40 and he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. That’s OK – isn’t 50 the new 30 anyway?
In his new show Adolescent, Griffiths takes us on a journey of his real youth. Through his love of 80s music he recounts the joy of falling head over heals in love for the first time, coming out to his best friend and unexpectedly finding skeletons in his family closet that gave him quite a shake up.
The former cast member of stage musicals Jersey Boys and Priscilla Queen of the Desert grew up in Adelaide where he studied music and, around the early 90s, started mesmerising local audiences with his talents.
It isn’t just his teens and twenties in focus however. Griffiths also shares some of his experiences working as an entertainer for the last 15 years and explains how this has enabled him to delay the maturing process.
Even though his stories are beautifully told, it wouldn’t matter if Griffiths didn’t speak at all. He has the most delightfully pleasant singing voice, the type that you can listen to for hour after hour and his ability to convey the story of a song as he sings it is nothing less than remarkable.
A brilliant song selection of 80s favourites and hit songs from Jersey Boys and Priscilla Queen of the Desert had the audience itching to sing along and he eventually gave them the opportunity to participate as back up singers for the Michael Jackson hit Pretty Young Thing. The near capacity crowd didn’t need much cajoling and joined in with enthusiasm.
Griffiths looks completely at home on the stage in an honest and relaxed way that very few people can achieve. He’s the real deal.
The show might be called Adolescent but there is nothing immature about this performance. Griffiths may see himself as undeveloped but in this cabaret he is confident, experienced, appealing and 100% man.
Reviewed by Ceri Horner
Twitter: @CeriHorner
Venue: Nexus
Season: Until 23 November 2014
Duration: 60 mins
Tickets: $20.00 – $25.00
Bookings: Book online through the Feast Festival website, or tickets at the door if not sold out.
The Feast Festival runs from 15 – 30 November 2014.
More News
