Arts

Interview (Cabaret Festival): Lady Rizo

The ever-fabulous and multi-talented American singer, actor, composer, comedienne and artist, Lady Rizo is returning to Adelaide for three shows in the up-coming 2017 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

The ever-fabulous and multi-talented American singer, actor, composer, comedienne and artist, Lady Rizo (otherwise known as Amelia Zirin-Brown), is excitingly returning to Adelaide this June for three shows in the up-coming 2017 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

New York inhabitant, Lady Rizo, has previously performed at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2013 and 2015, but a lot has changed since those shows, namely that a child has been brought into the whirlwind of travel and performing that is Lady Rizo’s existence. This life-changing event is what her 2017 show, Multiplied, focuses on; the transition into a life where motherhood becomes a significant part of your identity, and the experiences that come with it (natural home-births, public breast-feeding, you get the gist).

Don’t get me wrong though – the show isn’t just a this-and-that about mother-hood and kids. Lady Rizo is fully aware that the topic of children can be a controversial one, especially through having worked in a largely LBGTQ+ industry where parental rights are still being fought for, as well as the fact that some people simply just don’t want to procreate. Instead of creating a divide between those who have children, and those who don’t, Lady Rizo aims to create a bridge between the two. Having been raised in somewhat of an artist’s commune in Oregon, she is a true advocate for the “it takes a village to raise a child” mentality. She jokes that this could even involve giving her baby to a stranger on a plane, allowing them to imprint some of themselves into her son’s life (who, may I add, travels well on planes).

Throughout Multiplied our leading lady will be supported by acclaimed cellist, guitarist and composer Yair Evnine, who is currently working on the acclaimed Broadway hit Waitress, starring singer Sara Bareilles. He and Lady Rizo have been collaborating for many years, including on her albums, and seem to have a close friendship allowing Lady Rizo to simply hum a quick tune that she thought up in the shower and have, as she puts is, “Evnine turn it into something good”. Not only will this year’s show provide some original songs from the Lady Rizo-Yair Evnine collaboration, but also some carefully chosen pop songs may find themselves at the mercy of our leading lady’s wit.

Combined with Lady Rizo’s social messages are of course the long-lashes, glamorous costumes sensationally soulful voice and witty sense of humour we’ve come to expect from this dazzling performer, so make sure you grab your ticket before they all sell out!

Interview by Georgina Smerd

Performances: Thu, 22 Jun 2017, 7:00PM, Fri, 23 Jun 2017, 10:00PM, Sat, 24 Jun 2017, 7:30PM
Venue: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent
Prices: $25.95 – $56.90
For bookings, click here

 

More News

To Top