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| Trevor Ashley in full flight. |
Angel Place Recital Centre - 5th July 2019.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Hello Sydney, well Hello Sydney - It’s so nice to be
back home where you belong.
There was a time, back in the 1980’s, when Sydney used
to be the centre of the cabaret universe in Australia. That was the time of the
Tilbury Hotel and The Sydney Cabaret Convention where cabaret artists competed
for the opportunity to appear in the New York Cabaret Convention. Trevor Ashley
was one of the Cabaret Convention winners who found himself performing in New
York. Ashley has since established himself as one of the country’s best known
cabaret performer/entrepreneurs.
Then Sydney dropped the ball. Adelaide picked it up
and ran with it, establishing the Adelaide Cabaret Festival which has become
the biggest celebration of cabaret on the planet. Consequently, Melbourne and
Brisbane have established their own cabaret festivals, but it was not until this
year, through the initiative of that same Trevor Ashley, that Sydney has again
entered the field with the inaugural Sydney Cabaret Festival, curated by
Ashley.
Anchored in The Seymour Centre, and running over two
weeks, Sydney Cabaret Festival Gala was the opening event, compered by Ashley
in full drag queen mode. Backed by Michael Tyack on piano, and a small, classy
band, Ashley set the tone with ear-shattering renditions of Everything’s Coming Up Roses and Let Me Entertain You.
After welcoming
guests and confiding that he had structured the show as a sampler of the acts
performing during the festival, and was particularly pleased to have attracted back
home several Australian cabaret performers who had built successful cabaret
careers overseas including, from London, songstress Alison Jiear, from New
York, Kim David Smith and from Europe, Reuben Kaye.
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| Lily Martinez |
Cheeky magician, Lily Martinez didn’t need lyrics to
raise eyebrows as she demonstrated her dexterity with a little red handkerchief.
Elegantly attired funnymen, Jonathan Biggins and Phil Scott restored decorum
with their brilliant expose of the art of the Broadway musical from their new
show “No Cabaret For Old Men”. Then, befeathered, bespangled and describing
himself as the “Lamborghini of Cabaret”, Reuben Kaye, flashing a smile which
would do justice to a white pointer, exploded on to the stage with a taster of
his show.
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| Phil Scott and Jonathan Biggins |
New Yorker, Brian Nash, continued the Broadway theme by
singing all the roles in the finale of Les
Miserables simultaneously, and later, dueted with Broadway belter, Natalie
Joy Johnson who was making her first Australian appearance singing a very loud
version of the Bobby Freeman song, Do You
Want To Dance followed by a mash up of big ballads beloved of cabaret
performers.
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| Reuben Kaye |
Michael Tyack accompanied vocalist Alison Jiear for a
preview of her Ella Fitzgerald tribute with a swinging version of the Gershwin
jazz standard, Oh Lady Be Good, followed
by a sublime arrangement of the Michel Legrand/ Alan and Marilyn Bergman song Papa Can You Hear Me? Sexy Kim David Smith literally dazzled
the audience in his mirrored costume to preview his Kylie Minogue tribute followed
by comedy duo, Frisky and Mannish who offered a clever masterclass on cabaret
duets.
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Alan Jiear |
Suave Tim Draxl was accompanied by Daniel Edmonds for
his stylish re-imaginings of two cabaret classics, Gershwin’s “The Man I Love”
and “My Man” from his new show “Love is a Drag”, following which Trevor Ashley
ushered all the artists back on stage for their finale bow.
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| Kim David Smith |
Then the piece de resistance – he introduced Broadway
Legend, Jennifer Holliday who brought the audience to its feet with a stunning
performance of her signature song, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from the musical “Dream Girls”. It was a magic moment guaranteed to send
those who had not already done so, scrambling to secure tickets for her two
concerts later in the festival, and a terrific finale to an entertaining showcase
of the goodies in store over the two weeks of the inaugural Sydney Cabaret
Festival.
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| Jennifer Holliday |
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au
