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Spankin’ New! – 2012 Adelaide Fringe

Presented by The Butterfly House
Reviewed Saturday 3rd March 2012

The 2012 offering from Spankin’ New! brings Will McRostie, Abby Hampton and Marilyn Kourbelis into the spotlight, accompanied by Gordon Combes on keys. The premise of the show is to give new artists a chance to try their hand at cabaret, work with an accompanist, and perform in front of an audience.

Providing a mix of songs and styles, these three try their hand at cabaret. Hampton has previously been part of David Campbell’s High School Cabaret at the 2011 Cabaret Festival and McRostie is part of vocal group, Voice of Transition, and the range of his experience is evident.

Hampton and Kourbelis prefer to keep the patter to a minimum, and simply sing. Both have good voices, but some additional work with microphone placement and connection to the songs and the audience will increase their impact. If these ladies wish to pursue cabaret, it would also be nice to hear more of their own voices, rather than the American versions of songs. This will also allow the audience to connect to them and the material better.

McRostie is more comfortable with setting up a story for his songs with patter, and engaging with the audience, using a variety of microphone options from hand held, stand and headset. He engages with the audience and understands the comic timing required to allow the audience to register the lyrics. For the most part, he uses his own voice, thus also ensuring he can move from patter to song seamlessly, and the songs are all set to allow a smooth transition between his speaking voice to his singing voice.

It will be interesting to watch these three as they develop their craft.

Reviewed by Jade Kops, special guest Fringe Critic, Glam Adelaide

Adelaide Fringe – Spankin’ New!

Venue: The Butterfly House, 262 South Tce, Adelaide
Season: 9pm, Sun 4 Mar, 7:30pm, Fri 9 Mar 2012
Tickets: Adults $20, Bank SA Customer $15, Concession $15, Fringe Benefits $15
Duration: 45min
Bookings: Fringetix 1300-FRINGE (1300-374643), Fringetix outlets, or online

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