A festival that leads the way

There is nothing more enjoyable when returning to some journalism for the first time for a while, to be able to write one’s first column for this website with subject matter that is full of praise. With all the many problems within the Australian entertainment/arts scene, where so many things are a challenge and occur in a country where the obsession with sport and all things outdoors sometimes makes the arts a poor cousin, it is great to report on an event that is universally praised and is slowly changing the face of arts festivals in Australia. I speak of course of the just completed Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

There is nothing more enjoyable when returning to some journalism for the first time for a while, to be able to write one’s first column for this website with subject matter that is full of praise. With all the many problems within the Australian entertainment/arts scene, where so many things are a challenge and occur in a country where the obsession with sport and all things outdoors sometimes makes the arts a poor cousin, it is great to report on an event that is universally praised and is slowly changing the face of arts festivals in Australia. I speak of course of the just completed Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

2010 marks the tenth anniversary of this festival, a fascinating pot pourri of cabaret, music theatre, comedy and cutting edge alternate theatre that somehow all manages to fall under the umbrella of the word ‘cabaret’. I have attended the festival only spasmodically till last year when a number of my clients made my presence necessary. Likewise this year I attended the festival for two of its three weeks . All I can say is every time I make a trip to Adelaide the festival just seems to get better and better. The last five days of the festival when the amount of local and international artists coming and going was almost breathtaking, was a great time to watch this well oiled machine work at its best. Just to be part of the crowds buzzing in foyers, in some cases running from one small venue to a large venue to yet another venue to catch three or four acts in one evening is an experience like no other. It is now clear to me that this festival is unique in the world, there is no other arts festival that clearly pinpoints cabaret in all its forms as its common denominator and then throws a million different styles at the form in almost breathtaking abandon.

There is no doubt much of the recent success of the festival is largely due to the skilled artistic direction of David Campbell and his wife, Lisa, who have thrown caution to the winds since taking over the festival last year and have gone for gold in getting the best artists in the world to come to the festival and to a large extent have had their shopping list of stars amply filled.

As  a result the festival has gone into profit and  hit new levels of attendance. Bernadette Peters was the benchmark for the central artist to hang the festival upon last year, this year it was Natalie Cole, both world class divas who bring a level of class, expertise and professionalism that dictates much of the tone of the rest of the festival.

This year has been a banquet ;Stephen Schwartz partook in a wonderful night of his music, explaining how he wrote some of his most famous songs, then was surrounded by the best of local and international artists singing his music. Two glorious Broadway divas in Donna Mckechnie and Liz Callaway gave performances of great skill demonstrating the true art of intimate music theatre cabaret. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, two young New York songwriters whose work is being lauded internationally  presented new music theatre songs yet with a cutting edge youthfulness that had a large audience of young people screaming their praises.

Then there were the Australian established stars  such as John Waters, John Paul Young, Trevor Ashley (with his Liza show), Hugh Sheridan (as Anthony Newley), Caroline O’Connor, Alex Rathgeber, David Harris, Marika Aubrey, Queenie Van De Zandt, to name a few. Some newcomers as well, including winners of the Sydney Cabaret Showcase (Tom Sharah and Elizabeth Cousemacker).

Then some of the more cutting edge stuff, unique comic Ennio Marchetto, from England Frisky and Mannish, Cabaret Whore, Oh the list goes on and on – plus to top it all off a couple of theatre shows with strong cabaret leaning – the Sydney Festival hit Smoke and Mirrors (mix of cabaret, burlesque, and circus – brilliant) and even the Wharf Revue with its 2010 version –Pennies from Kevin (wow that’s suddenly out of date, they just got it on in time).

A recent New York Times article lamented the problems cabaret was facing, listing only the top drawer (and very expensive) venues that have managed to turn a profit this last year. The New York Cabaret Convention has become a much smaller and less significant event. The article attempts to question whether the sort of cabaret practiced in NYC has a modern audience.

Which is all the more interesting  as it seems Adelaide is leading the way in pushing this entertainment style into the 21st century. There were a lot of very young hip audiences relishing everything from the more  cutting edge comic cabaret to the traditional great American songbook cabaret style. Late night on the last weekend, one of the rooms were turned into a disco floor as hundreds of young adults danced to the songs and music of Broadway star Shoshana Bean in her other incarnation as a R&B pop star. Also lets not forget Broadway piano comic extraordinaire Mark Nadler, who entertained crowds at a free after show party every night, bringing on stage guests from all the shows of the night, a perfect finish to any evening.

This is all amazing stuff, this festival is unique, and, as so many of the international artists said, there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. It works for a variety of reasons; the Campbell’s passion and their incredible contacts, the fabulous staff of the Festival Theatre and the Festival itself, the size of Adelaide with its slightly old  fashioned  country town feel, which plays such an excellent host to the festival and brings in so much of the local population (far more easily than a bigger more bustling city)

It seems we are creating for live music and cabaret a festival that is as unique to Adelaide as Sundance Film festival is to that part of the world. Now International artists are lining up to be part of the 2011 festival. Its exciting, it’s a little like being in New York or London for a week or two. If you haven’t  been, make 2011 the year to go.

You wont be disappointed.