Tag: Chapel Off Chapel

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

Review: ANGELA HARDING is Just Like You… Only Different

The finest Australian cabaret has to offer

By Myron My

Angela Harding’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival show Just Like You… Only Different takes the audience on a journey of the highs and lows of being a performer in the arts as well as touching on some more personal moments of Harding’s.

If she talks long enough then surely we’ll have something in common, Harding muses before beginning her first number for the night. Using a combination of original songs and some famous covers, her charismatic and endearing personality thus quickly spreads through the audience until we are a roomful of smiles and laughs.

Along for the ride is musical director and accompanist Mathew Frank, whose piano arrangements are flawless and add another dimension to the well-known songs that Harding performs, such as Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and the sultry “At Last” by Etta James. The transitions between songs were smooth and well paced, giving us enough time to take in what we just heard and prepare us for the next brilliant tune.

Harding particularly shines with her original tunes, including the triple threat of being a “Singer, Actor, Dancer” whereupon she also takes to the piano. Seems to me Harding is more of a quadruple threat and should clearly add musician/song-writer to this list: “Silence” is a beautifully composed song and I don’t think anyone in the audience took a breath until that final note was sung.

The crowd almost brought the house down with their cheers as Harding sang her final number and I honestly have not heard an audience cheer like that for a very long time, except at sold-out large-scale music gigs.

Just Like You…Only Different is a joyous ride of Harding sharing her stories with her audience and no doubt deserves to be the winner of the 2011 Australian Cabaret Showcase. Keep an eye out for her future performances, for this lady belongs on stage.
 
Just Like You… Only Different was performed on the 20th – 21st July, 7:00pm at Chapel Off Chapel as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2012.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

Review: AUSTRALIAN HORROR STORY by Dirty Thieving Gypsies

Murder, music, mayhem and the macabre…

By Myron My

My initiation into the Melbourne Cabaret Festival began with Australian Horror Story: a dark musical journey starring Karin Muiznieks and Karlis Zaid as they trawl the backwaters of suburbia and equally horrify and amuse us through song and characterisation.

From the opening scene as three hooded and candlelit figures enter the stage, there is a dark and eerie ambiance in the room. The idea of blood and hell will invariably enter your mind with the minimal props being used being black or red.

This performance takes the banalities of sub-urbanity and turns it into something sinister – “Why do people with similar lives to us commit terrible crimes and acts of transgression?” Zaid asks.

From Jihads in Melton, parents competing to have the “better” child and a “relaxing” drive to Caroline Springs, we are introduced to strongly-defined characters created by Muiznieks and Zaid. There is great camaraderie between the two of them and the play off and against each other is a joy to watch.

Being a cabaret show, the music is an integral part of the production and it did not disappoint, with soft and happy tunes swiftly changing to dark and somber ones. The lighting was synced with the music for the most part, however there were times that the lighting prevented me from seeing the performers and while I understand it was to set the mood I found it more of an annoyance than anything else.

Hipster Killer ran the risk of stopping the melodic flow of the show as it was more of a poetry reading than song but judging from the applause, this was a crowd-favourite – including mine. And as soon as it was over, we returned to a song to bring us back to the macabre.

The real chilling horror of the show is the impression that this is all happening right now. Australian Horror Story speculates there is a man in a suburb somewhere putting on gloves and getting ready to murder someone, and it is this enduring thought that left me questioning how much I should be laughing. There definitely is some spooky shit going down in our home towns but thanks to this show, we can laugh about it a lot… nervously.

Australian Horror Story was performed on the 17th – 18th July, 8:30pm at Chapel Off Chapel as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2012.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Sarah-Louise Young in CABARET WHORE

Lady is a vamp!

By Bradley Storer

The audience members were met at the door of the Loft at Chapel off Chapel by a flamboyantly friendly woman named Sammy Mavis Jnr., a country diva with a racy sense of humour, who happily helped seat people all the while introducing herself to everyone and chatting away like old friends.

Finally she took to the stage and welcomed us all to Cabaret Whore, before launching into Dolly Parton-style songs about her childhood sex-capades and her current career as a porn star. While understandably shocked, the audience laughed uproariously.

 British cabaret star Sarah-Louise Young brings five personas to life in this character-based cabaret. Aside from Sammy Mavis, the show includes a washed up wannabe West End diva, a Bjork-style Russian performance artist (allowing Young to show off her amazing range) and a dramatically masochistic French chanteuse.

Young has crafted incredibly individuated and distinct personalities for each character, and her remarkably versatile vocals allow her to glide from country to Broadway to French chanson worthy of Piaf with ease.

One of the highlights of this performance was watching the enthusiasm with which Young interacted with the audience members – not a member of the front row left unspoken to (or in one section, called upon to repair a microphone stand) but the warmth which she radiates at every moment makes this a joy.

Young is truly a star, with outstanding vocal and comedic abilities. At the end of the evening, Young emerged from behind her changing screen in only a dressing gown and charming self-deprecation before encoring with a number from her recent tenure in Fascinating Aida, reinforcing her sheer stage presence without trappings.

All this makes a show not to be missed, so see her before she leaves!

Dates: 22-24 June 9.00pm

Venue: Chapel off Chapel                                               

Tickets: $40 Full, $35 Concession

Booking: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Phone: 03 8290 7000

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Late Night Shows, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: The Bad Boys of Music Theatre are A FINE BROMANCE

Classic, charismatic and campy good fun!

By Kim Edwards

There were tech problems, the show went up late, and a Sunday night crowd were initially unreceptive. But Andrew Strano and John Frankland ( in order of appearance, lads) worked their considerable charm and won over their audience with aplomb.

Think the Rat Pack meets Lano and Woodley. The Bad Boys are all about on-stage dynamic and the banter is brisk and boisterous. The show itself hinges on the hilarity and harmonics of their (denied) homoerotic relationship: it’s a testament to the lovability of the characters and their love/hate/show-tune chemistry that they even got some ‘aws’ among the laughs as they expounded the perils of bromantic guy love.

Strano’s loud lanky comedy is both cute and clownish. His pace is feverish and his energy frenetic, while Frankland plays the – er – straight man, offering a more subtle and natural comic timing and tone. Last night some glib patter drowned out key jokes with premature reactions, and a few bawdy jokes missed their mark, but it was obvious this was well-tuned material that any other night would chime resoundingly.

Accompanied by the ever-versatile Trevor Jones at the piano and some fun multimedia, the Bad Boys did wonderfully bad and witty things to music theatre lyrics (including their own original song Amazing which you can find on Itunes) and best yet, these guys can really sing. Great warmth of sound together, and their harmonies were lovely as a counterpoint to snappy self-conscious jokes and the tales of their rambunctious relationship.

It’s a familiar formula, but the Bad Boys of Music Theatre hit all the right notes in the classic two-hander cabaret comedy-style. With their brand of sleek slapstick humour and their musical bro-etry, it’s clear these two boys were simply and bromantically meant to be together. Catch them for their last week of their Melbourne International Comedy festival season!

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran
Dates: 31st March – 23rd April
Tickets: $25*, Tight Arse Tuesdays $17.50* (*plus transaction fee)
Times: 10:15pm, Sun & Mon 10pm
Bookings: (03) 8290 7000, www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Cabaret, Events, Festivals, Opportunities, Performances, Whats On

SHORT+SWEET CABARET: Submissions Now Open

Want to be part of the world’s most successful showcase event?!

 

The 2010 Short+Sweet Cabaret Festival is now welcoming submissions – and a new festival director!  

Emma Clair Ford, herself an experienced cabaret artist, creator and curator, is proud to be taking on the challenging role: “I’m thrilled to be onboard as Festival Director in 2010, and can’t wait to see what this year’s applicants have in store.”

Outgoing Festival Director David Read started Short+Sweet Cabaret with Short+Sweet founder Mark Cleary in 2008, and explains, “I’m proud of leaving the Festival in a safe pair of hands with Emma and look forward to experiencing the new level of excitement and creativity she will bring to the Festival.”

Short+Sweet Cabaret Festival is a unique performance experience for Melbourne artists.   Successful applicants are invited to perform a 10-minute cabaret piece  at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran from Thursday 18 to Sunday 28 November 2010.  

 

 

With judges’ prizes and people’s choice awards, this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase new and innovative work in a supportive and inspiring environment, reach a wide and eclectic audience, and network and strengthen our remarkable cabaret community.

 

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN…

 

To enter a submission, simply email a 100 word or less description of your 10-minute cabaret concept to emma@shortandsweet.org together with your name, telephone number and a list of any props, technical and musical accompaniment requirements.

Great prizes can be won and costs such as venue hire, technicians, ticketing, marketing and publicity are covered.

Individuals or groups can apply.

But what kind of cabaret concept can you offer for the festival?   Emma says, “I encourage all forms of cabaret to apply and am particularly looking for fresh but well thought-out ideas.”

Check it out on Facebook: Short+Sweet Cabaret

 

Submissions close on Tuesday September 14th

Cabaret, Events, Festivals, Opportunities, Whats On

SHORT SWEET+CABARET: Submissions Close Soon

Only 10 minutes to perform a complete cabaret piece: are you up for the challenge?!

After its inaugural success last year, the Melbourne Short Sweet+Cabaret returns for November 2009, and submissions are closing soon for this cabaret version of the world’s most successful showcase event, Short And Sweet.

This is your last opportunity to participate in this ever-growing performance festival, and win exciting prizes, critical acclaim from an expert judging panel, and your audiences’ hearts!  

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*2008 winner Elenor Jane Adams, photo by Rory Fink

The deadline for entries is Monday September 7, and the event runs from Thursday-Sunday November 12-22 at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahan.

All forms of cabaret are welcome, but the genre itself emphasises innovation and imagination, so festival director David Read is particularly looking for “fresh but well thought-out ideas”.   He explains that, “aside from great prizes, Short Sweet+Cabaret provides performers with the opportunity to showcase their latest work, and acts as a launching pad to recognition and further opportunities.”

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Venue, technical requirements and piano accompaniment (if required) are provided, and individuals or groups can apply.

So what are you waiting for?   That fantastic idea you had for a cabaret show would be perfect for a ten-minute performance, and Melbourne’s Short Sweet+Cabaret festival is the ideal opportunity  for you to make it happen!

To enter a submission, simply email a 100 word or less description of your 10 minute cabaret concept to david@shortandsweet.org together with your name, telephone number and a list of any props, technical and musical accompaniment requirements.

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/shortsweetcab

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