THE 2004 ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL - THE THIRD WEEK


Reported by Bill Stephens of SHOWBUZZ

MALTBY AND SHIRE'S NEWEST SHOW "TAKE FLIGHT" GIVEN WORLD PREMIERE AT THE 2004 ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL.

There was an air of excitement in the Adelaide Festival Centre as the audience settled down at the first of two performances of Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire's newest musical Take Flight which was to be given it's world premiere on the last two nights of the 2004 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

The composers were present, and a stellar cast of some of the best Australian music theatre performers, together with a ten voice chorus and a twenty-one piece orchestra, had been assembled for the occasion. All had been rehearsing for just four days, but you never have guessed from the polished performance which emerged.

Take Flight, in it's present form, is a suite of very fine songs connected by narration from various of the characters. It is about flying, about creativity, about the human need to take risks. It has a cast of characters which include Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and the Wright Brothers.

All the principals disdained the use of books for their solos and set-pieces, and deftly directed by Richard Maltby Jr., and using minimalist props such as a few chairs to suggest airplanes, they soon had us swept up in the stories of the various characters.

As expected from Maltby and Shire, the score for Take Flight is crammed with catchy songs, lush soaring melodies and witty, intelligent lyrics. The superb musical arrangements by David Shire for both the large orchestra and chorus add a sweep to their music which is at times quite breathtaking.

Many of the songs are story-songs destined for performance outside the context of the show. Particularly ear catching on first hearing was the soaring duet "Earthbound" for Amelia Earhart (Tamsin Carroll) and George Putnam (Simon Burke), the wonderfully wry and funny trio "I Think" for Amelia Earhart, George Putnam and his wife Amelia (Avigail Herman), two excellent duets "What are we doing here?" and "The Funniest Thing" for the Wright Brothers (Eddie Perfect and David Harris) and a funny solo "Phhht!" for Otto Lilienthal (Tony McGill).

On the final Saturday afternoon of the Festival Maltby and Shire gave an enthralling, and well-attended master class. Four students from N.I.D.A ( National Institute of Dramatic Art) who had travelled to Adelaide from Sydney for the final weekend of the festival, had each prepared a song from the Maltby and Shire catalogue for the masterclass. One by one the duo listened to the song; then commented on each students' performance. They offered suggestions on interpretation and approach, described circumstances under which the songs had been written, and gave insights into their working methods. No one present could have been unmoved by the enthusiasm Maltby and Shire displayed for the craft of songwriting and for role of cabaret singers in exploring the possibilities of songs such as theirs.

However, as heady as were the contributions of Maltby and Shire to the final week of the 2004 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, they were by no means the only highlights.

Paris Combo, a cool French quintet, fronted by chanteuse Belle du Berry, drew large audiences to all their performances, as did Katie Noonan and the Paul Grabowsky Trio with a stunning original jazz song cycle composed by Grabowsky based on the poems of Dorothy Porter called Before Time Could Change Us.

In more conventional cabaret mode, Avigail Herman (Vocals) and Peter Bailey (Piano, Guitar) offered a beautifully researched and excellently sung exploration of the songs of Harold Arlen entitled Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Lisa Schouw, also accompanied by Peter Bailey, was splendid in her tribute to Nina Simone entitled The Other Woman. Though white and bearing no physical resemblance to Nina Simone, Ms Schouw cleverly captured the unique vocal qualities of Simone, and the essence of her persona, in a beautifully judged and affecting performance.

Another tribute show, Marvellous Party had Noel Coward as its focus. Living treasures Dennis Olsen and Amanda Muggleton skimmed the cream of Coward's words and music for a series of twenty four songs and duets. Mr. Olsen and Ms. Muggleton were a lesson in class and style as they tossed off Coward's intricate lyrics and indulged in multiple costume changes, with ease and panache.

Kaye Tuckerman, who has already appeared in New York, proved that her star turn in the Kit and the Widow broadcast the previous week, was not fluke. In her good-humoured, funny show Maneater she vamped and sizzled to great affect, putting one in mind of a young Eartha Kitt. Tuckerman was accompanied on piano by Eddie Perfect. Is there no end to this man's accomplishments?

Another talented songwriter/singer Sean Peter was assisted by Ross Burford, Johanna Allen, Abi Tucker and Roger Corser to present an excellent collection of his songs in a cleverly conceived show called Suitcase. Though many of his songs had been written for his musicals, most were story songs which fitted neatly into the cabaret format.

Among the more unusual and intimate offerings during the final week was a performer who commenced her act nude, and another who performed for just one audience member each show.

Wendy McPhee in her show Private Dancer, started her act naked, then, after adding clothes, alternatively disarmed and unnerved her audience in a confronting act which examined popular perceptions of women's physicality and sexuality.

Acclaimed Australian cabaret diva Robyn Archer in her show Whispering on the other hand took cabaret to it's most intimate. Backed by pianist Mathew Carey, she performed a song for her one-person audience which they had selected from a list of twelve. The song was performed with both seated at a table on the dimly lit stage of the vast Festival theatre . Those who participated declared the experience unforgettable. Drag featured in at least two of the final week's shows, but not quite as expected. Mary G is the creation of indigenous performer Mark Bin Bakar. She is large, warm, vibrant, feisty and earthy. Though her show involves much gentle audience participation, it is accomplished with a genuine warmth which is completely disarming and very funny.

A night at Fat Willy's, turned out to be a frenetic slapstick comedy act presented by the The Four Noels (there were only three - but that was part of the fun) and included another marvellous drag creation, a Puerto Rican nightclub singer Chico Raoul. Imagine an ostrich in drag and you have a fair approximation. I won't even try to describe the convoluted plot, but the show was a brilliantly contrived collection of tasteless gags, clever mime, cheesy showtunes and multiple character changes.

Another comedy highlight was the team of Lano and Woodley who demonstrated their mastery of slapstick in a new show called The Island in which they shared the stage with a huge piece of revolving stage machinery.

In just four years The Adelaide Cabaret Festival has established itself as the biggest cabaret festival in the world. It has raised the profile and possibilities of cabaret, and has built up an enormous, loyal audience ( in excess of 40,000 attendees over the 16 days of the festival) majorly due to the astute programming policy of it's director, Julia Holt.

Just before the 2004 Festival, the South Australian Government announced that it's future is secure, at least for the next four years. The 2005 Adelaide Cabaret Festival will take place from 10th to 26th June. I hope that in these reports I have given you some idea of it's size, diversity and variety of the festival and that in future years you might be tempted to rob the piggy bank to make the trip to Adelaide and share the excitement.

Full details of the festival can be found on their website http://www.adelaidecabaret.com/.

Reported by Bill Stephens of SHOWBUZZ




Reports of the 2004 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

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