2014 Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival

Cabaret Companion by Linh

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival has a younger sister festival called the Cabaret Fringe, where anything goes anywhere! This independent arts festival is a creative brainchild of brothers Paul and Adam Boylon with Jay Robinson in 2008, and has expanded to become a companion cabaret alternative to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

The cabaret culture and music is celebrated in the same way with a diverse array of artists performing in Adelaide during June but there are points of difference. Firstly, most of the venues for Cabaret Fringe are smaller and informal, therefore enhancing the intimacy and participation experience for the performers and audiences. Secondly, the Cabaret Fringe is more risqué and more than cliché with their performances that push the boundaries of musical conventions, also using music and song to comment on social/political issues in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

The Adelaide Cabaret Fringe has more than thirty cabaret acts throughout June with local and national artists providing more than burlesque in bow ties and black hats. This year’s programme has some unexpected surprises that do not fit the usual mould of cabaret as it is the eclectic nature of cabaret that encourages variety and something different.

The local artists at Cabaret Fringe include Megan Doherty in Dirty Thirty, Zephyr Quartet, Jamie Jewell as Candy Chambers in 50 Forever and Hew Parham in Giovanni’s Buono Voyago Fiesta. Interstate artists include Joanne Sutton in Fill Her Up, Selina Jenkins as Beau Heartbreaker and Amy Bodossian in Salvation Amy.

There is something different to tempt everyone at the 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival and is certain to put a smile on your face and keep it there after the show ends.

2014 Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival details:

Where:

La Boheme, Adelaide Town Hall, Ayers House, Hartley Playhouse, Nexus Cabaret, The Star Theatres, The Blue Bee Room, The Popeye, The Promethean, The Soul Box, The Whitmore Hotel, The Marion Bowling Club and The Alliance Francaise

When:

1 - 29 June 2014.

Tickets:

Price varies for each performance.

There is no physical Box Office for the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival to buy or collect tickets.

Book online for individual shows via the ‘Shows and Tickets’ tab http://www.cabaretfringefestival.com/shows-2/

Contact the Cabaret Fringe team if experiencing problems ordering tickets online

Email: info@cabaretfringefestival.com

Telephone: 08 82430001

Mobile Phone: 0406 980 962

Please Note: There may be problems when ordering tickets on mobile devices such as iPads or other tablets so the Cabaret Fringe team recommends using a laptop or desktop computer.

This is due to the possible incompatibility of some browsers with the online ticketing system for the Cabaret Fringe.

*All details are correct at the time of publishing.

2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival artistic director Kate Ceberano and some of her partners-in-crime. Image: Facebook.

Creative Criminals by Linh

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is the largest cabaret festival in the southern hemisphere and has evolved to become bigger, bolder and more brilliant than before. It is also the most eclectic cabaret festival, especially with a vast array of performers this year which include familiar faces, new talent and international artists. In 2014, it will be the 14^th Adelaide Cabaret Festival and the third and final one with Kate Ceberano as Artistic Director. Kate has been a fabulous ambassador for the performing arts in Australia and overseas, so it has been a delight for Adelaideans and South Australia to have her in an integral role of bringing diverse cabaret culture and music to curious audiences. 

This year’s Cabaret Festival theme is ‘Not Your Usual Suspects’, which is a play on words and adds some mystery to the types of performances audiences may expect. According to an interview with Kate, the theme is inspired by Mark Nadler (an audience favourite from previous Adelaide Cabaret Festivals) who was heckled by an audience member and Mark replied, “Hey buddy, I’m a cabaret artist not a f***ing role model!”. It is about a mix of familiarity and the unknown, where artists who performed many times in Adelaide’s cabaret and other festivals, return with very different or more daring performances. The artists become the masters of musical disguises, so that it may take a mental shift to recognise a musical theatre artist as a country singer or a rock singer performing opera. Their talent to effortlessly move from one musical style/genre to another is so good that it’s a crime. There are the repeat offenders such as Ali McGregor, Paul Capsis, Catherine Alcorn and Libby O’Donovan. International partners-in-crime include Mark Nadler, Brian d’Arcy James, Darlene Love and Kathy Najimy. 

The Cabaret Festival is a shining example of Adelaide’s innovativeness and artistic vision as a festival city and contributes to showcasing South Australia as the Festival State. This helps to secure the talents of different artistic directors who offer their own style of fun and artistic touch to keep the Cabaret Festival vibrant and fresh. Adelaide farewells Kate Ceberano this year and welcomes Barry Humphries as Artistic Director for the 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Humphries is loved for his alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson and enjoyed for his satirical wit. His appointment is exciting for audiences and his choice of cabaret artists is highly anticipated.

2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival details:

Where:

Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse, Space Theatre, Banquet Room, Artspace Gallery, Piano Bar, Lyrics Room, Her Majesty’s Theatre

When:

6-21 June 2014.

Tickets:

Price varies for each performance.

Book in person from the Adelaide Festival Centre Box Office and all BASS outlets. BASS at the Adelaide Festival Centre is open Mon-Fri 9:00am-6:00pm.

Book by telephone through BASS on 131 246
International bookings +61 8 8205 2300
Monday to Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm (CST)

Book online for individual shows via the ‘listed events pages’ button on any event page at http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/adelaide-cabaret-festival/whats-on/

Please Note: A payment processing fee of 2.5% of the transaction value applies to all credit card transactions.

*All details are correct at the time of publishing.

Source:

Ceberano, K. (2014). Not Your Usual Suspects. Adelaide Festival Centre website.

http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/adelaide-cabaret-festival/news/listing/not-your-usual-suspects/ Accessed 5 June 2014.