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Wednesday
Sep082010

Lady Carol's Malady @ Leicester Square Theatre (London)

 

Fresh from the Edingburgh Festival Fringe season, this intoxicating comedy singer Lady Carol brings her new show to London. 

The sexy and luminous Lady Carol is one of the most unique and bewitching performers on the cabaret circuit today, melding helter skelter logic with her dark vocals and umimaginable covers.  Expect possibly some of the most enjoyable renditions of Love is a Battlefield and Running up that Hill and you won’t be disappointed. 

 

Lady Carol’s Malady

Dates: 18 September, 2, 16, 30 October, 13, 27 November 

Venue: Basement, Leicester Square Theatre 6 Leicester Place, London

Time: 9.30pm

Tickets: £12 

Bookings: Click here or call 0844 847 2475

 

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Wednesday
Sep082010

2010 Melbourne Fringe Festival: Michael Connell - Acting the Goat @ The Butterfly Club 7th to 10th October 

We don’t usually feature stand-up comedy shows on this blog - it is a genre thing, just like you don’t see a serious theatre piece featured on comedy blogs.  But the line can be blurred time to time.  Many cabaret shows are classified as comedy, this show ‘Acting the Goat’ by Michael Connell sounds hilarious and it’s also at our beloved cabaret venue The Butterfly Club as part of 2010 Melbourne Fringe Festival, so it rates a mention.  Check back here tomorrow and read an interview with Michael Connell!

 

 

Communication; we do it all the time whether face to face, on the phone, or online, so how do people still get it wrong? Comedian Michael Connell is constantly putting his foot in his mouth, and then trying to dig himself out of it. In ‘Acting the Goat’ Michael looks at the funny things that happen when communication breaks down.

“Acting the Goat” will be Michael’s first big show in Melbourne since returning from a tour of the UK and Ireland earlier this year. His time performing abroad has also helped inspire the show.  He learned that in Sweden instead of saying “don’t get your knickers in a twist”, they say “don’t get your beard caught in the post-box.”

 “Where did that expression come from? Did that ever happen? Is there an angry man in Sweden standing next to a post-box full of beard? It’s these sort of weird little quirks of language that I’ll be looking at in the show.”  

So there’s no jokes about Goats then? “Well, there wasn’t when I started writing the show, but then when I was trying to get a photo for the poster I was nearly killed by an angry Billy Goat, so now that’s in the show!” Despite this brush with death Michael claims he had fun putting the show together and has even learnt something; “Yep,never work with kids or animals.” 

 

Michael Connell - Acting the Goat

Dates: 7-10 October

Venue: The Butterfly Club 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne 

Time: 7-9th Oct 9.00pm, 10th Oct 8.00pm

Ticket price: $22 / $17 (concession or group of 8 or more)

Bookings: Click here or call 03 9690 2000

 

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Tuesday
Sep072010

Smoke and Mirrors shines at the 2010 Helpmann Awards 

 

 

Dark, dazzling and gritty Smoke & Mirrors scooped all three awards it was nominated for at the 10th Helpmann Awards® last night at Sydney Opera House.  The Adelaide Cabaret Festival Director David Campbell was the MC for the evening.

Created by iOTA and Craig Ilott, and from the producers of the legendary La Clique, Smoke & Mirrors won awards for best new australian work, best original score (for iOTA, Tina Harris, Joe Accaria, Chris Ball and Martin Hailey and best cabaret performer (for iOTA).

It was co-commissioned by Sydney Festival and Spiegeltent International for Sydney Festival 2010.  This edgy and alluring show had an astounding success at the Sydney Festival, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, garnering rave reviews.   The return season at the 2011 Sydney Festival has been confirmed (dates TBA) and there’s been talk of US and European tours.   

The best cabaret category was introduced for the first time this year.  With cabaret artitsts like Meow Meow (who missed out on the Helpmann Awards but won the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize just last week) and Smoke & Mirrors getting the recognition and accolades, hopefully the category is here to stay.

A few comments were made about Smoke & Mirrors taking out best new Australian work and best original score, trumping new Australian opera Bliss, bringing up the ongoing murmurs on the awards’ category structure saying that cabaret and opera can’t be judged alongside each other for the same award.  

I do see the difficulty with organising award categories that encompass so many diverse and different art forms.  But fringe festivals often choose the best show out of wildly varies acts.  Is there a better way?  

It is great to see more cabaret acts getting bigger spotlight.  I’m already looking forward to seeing the 2011 nomination list for best cabaret category.

Click here for the full list of winners.

Helpmann Awards® Official Website: www.helpmannawards.com.au

 

Related posts: 

Helpmann Awards cabaret category nominees announced

2010 Edinburgh Fringe: Smoke & Mirrors

2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival: Smoke & Mirrors - 23rd June to 26th June

 

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Sunday
Sep052010

Cabaret star Kim Smith to marry William Ferguson

 

Weimar cabaret artist Kim Smith will wed fiancé William Ferguson today in Connecticut.

The New York Times article about the couple reports that they met each other five years ago in true romantic fashion while American opera singer William Ferguson was in Melbourne, performing with Opera Australia in Provofiev’s “Love for Three Oranges”.  They met on Swanston Street when a chance meeting with their mutual friend, who happened to be Kim Smith’s best friend, introduced them to each other.

There was chemistry from that moment and Kim eventually moved to New York City to be with William. And the rest is history.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the gorgeous and talented couple talk about how they met, right through to the moment William proposed to Kim on the very street they first ran into in Melbourne.  If this clip doesn’t melt your heart, I suggest you check your pulse!

I started corresponding with Kim Smith before he came to perform his show Morphium at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival to arrange an interview for this blog. When I saw his show, I was completely mesmerised and became his big fan.  I was really happy to hear the exciting news about the wedding a few weeks ago, and am thrilled to bits for this handsome couple.  

Congratulations Kim and William – I wish both all the happiness in the world and beyond – today, always and forever.

 

Read the full New York Times wedding announcement here.

 

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Sunday
Sep052010

Meow Meow wins 2010 Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize

 

 

Australian cabaret artist Meow Meow (Melissa Madden Gray ) won the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize. Roadkill, a theatre piece about sex trafficking also received the award.

Meow Meow’s postmodern cabaret ‘Meow Meow in Feline Intimate’ was described as “unique form of kamikaze cabaret kitsch and performance art exotica” which had “hypnotised, inspired and terrified audiences worldwide” and was “a sensation”.

According to Scotsman.com News, Meow Meow said “That’s me in the grown-up world now. I’m delighted and see this as an opportunity to explore new directions” upon hearing the news.

“I might even consider developing a different persona.”

Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize is given to the most innovative artists appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year. Festival Director Jonathan Mills selected the winners based on the recommendations of a judging panel.

The winners’ prize include £5,000, top level mentoring and an invitation to present a work in development as part of its Behind the Scenes programme in 2011.

Meow Meow has also been nominated for Helpmann Awards® in the newly created cabaret category.  

Read the full report on Scotsman.com News here.

 

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