2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival – Fabulous Food

Cabaret Cuisine by Linh

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival treats all your senses, from the sights and sounds of the wonderful artists during performances, to the taste, smell and feel of the food stalls. Throughout the festival, crowds of hungry cabaret-lovers dined on local fare including something enchanting. For the first time, Churroz, the enchanting Spanish doughnut, made an appearance at the Cabaret Festival and has won over some fans with a sweet-tooth for sugary-chocolate-caramel dough sticks.


Image: Linh

Image: Linh


Chocolate-caramel Churros. Image: Linh



I bought a tub of Tempting Churros – there were three in a serve, topped with chocolate sauce and drizzled with caramel sauce, served hot. The churros tasted better than the ones I ate during my trip to Melbourne.

Image: Linh

Squid sensations. Image: Linh


For seafood lovers, Squid Inc., provides the juiciest squids and calamari rings flavoured with lemon pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. The food comes in a cardboard cone, with a choice of sauces including tartare, tomato, barbecue and chilli as extra flavour or for dipping. I poured mine onto a plate for easy access and quick consumption.


Go 'Beyond India' for the best curries. Image: Linh


On my final night of the Cabaret Festival, I could not resist some Indian delights, so I headed for Beyond India. The menu consisted of some favourite Indian fare, both meat and vegetarian. I had the Mixed Vegetable Korma, with white steamed rice and large papadum. The delicious meal tasted spicy, tangy and savoury all at once and was very filling.

Indian indulgence. Image: Linh


The seating at the dining area varied from plastic round tables for up to four people, to a cosy and intimate lounge setting with a fire stand to keep the winter chills away. I snared a spot on one of the soft, comfortable, red and gold-striped seats near the coffee table. Hopefully, the lounge setting will return for the next Cabaret festival, as it proved a popular meeting spot for cabaret audiences having post-show drinks and interval snacks between shows.

Comfortable cabaret couches. Image: Linh

The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival – Poster Artwork

Fifty Foot Female by Linh









Throughout mythology, literature and films there have been numerous gendered monsters, from the masculine monsters like Dracula and King Kong to the fearsome females such as Medusa and the Wicked Witch of the West (from The Wizard of Oz). Another thought would be that monsters do not have genders but exhibit various characteristics stereotypical of either male or female.

It is with some curiosity that the 10th Adelaide Cabaret Festival poster features Mitzi in a parody of the character Nancy from the film Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. The poster of the original 1958 film shows Nancy holding a car which may signify an overpowering or threat to male supremacy, but the Adelaide Cabaret Festival is more explicit with an actual man being held. A clever alteration to the artwork is the inclusion of the Adelaide Festival Centre, over which Mitzi stands in all her glory.

The main difference could be the message conveyed between the two posters. In the film poster for Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, Nancy looks like she is on an angry rampage in the heart of the city, and according to the film’s story line, Nancy is seeking revenge on her cheating husband and the authorities (all male) who have falsely claimed she is mentally unstable.

The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival poster shows Mitzi as more of a gigantic spectacle than a threat, who is hard to ignore and pleasing to the eye. This could reflect the Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s image as a fantastic event that must not be missed and is the biggest thing in town.

The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Fab Cab Fest by Linh

This year marks ten years of fabulous cabaret and musical theatre fun and entertainment for the Festive State (South Australia). Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, David Campbell has again delivered the musical goods to attract some of the best and brightest talents to Adelaide. The gorgeous Natalie Cole, effervescent Caroline O’Connor, superb tenor David Hobson and zany comic pianist Mark Nadler are among the 250 artists, playing over 120 performances across 16 days.

All performers come from a range of musical backgrounds and experiences, yet they are all equally exciting and excellent. This year there are more local talent, after some criticism about last year’s internationally-renowned stars edging out local musicians.
Of course, David Campbell cannot take all the credit for organising the world’s biggest cabaret event, with hundreds of volunteers and Festival Centre staff putting in the long hours to make the 10th Adelaide Cabaret Festival the best yet.