Cabaret Confessional

I happened to be at the piano when the Three Chillies were playing their first shows as a group. From the first performance in 2004 Rose Senesi, Kellie O’Brien and Oriana Binetti had great voices, big personalities and enthusiasm to burn. They have since gone on to develop a number of very successful shows and performed in festivals in Australia and abroad.

Rose took the time to tell me what the Three Chillies have been up to and about their new show Chillie Nights.

What was it like to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year?

Amazing – we went there with so many wishes and hopes, and we managed to tick all the boxes. We met other performers, saw other shows, attended forums for performers and managed to hang out with some fun people. Because we went there with the intention of really enjoying the festival itself, we not only performed and busked, but we took in the incredible vibe that is Edinburgh. The atmosphere was phenomenal and the city was alive 24/7. 

What comparisons can you draw between the Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringes?

 They are very similar – there is an excitement in the air, the knowledge that there are performances happening all around, you can sense the nerves of opening night jitters, as well as the relief of closing night exhaustion. 

The biggest difference is the weather! It’s freezing in Edinburgh, even during their summer! The fact that both festivals are respected and adored across the globe tells me that they are both winning events. The Edinburgh Fringe staff were very helpful, but I reckon our Adelaide gang does it the best!

Why did you choose the music of Motown as the theme for this show?

The music makes us feel happy, it’s sexy and it’s wholesome.

When were back stage in Edinburgh for the 2009 Fringe Festival we were listening to a CD that Kelly had brought to play in the house whilst our audience was getting seated. Although it wasn’t strictly Motown, it had that soul and funk that we had never yet challenged ourselves to try. Standing backstage we used this music to get our voices warm and then one of us said “We should do a Motown show!” The idea rolled from there.

Motown has produced such a string of hit songs it would be almost impossible to cover them all in one show. How do you decide which songs to include and which to leave out?

We looked at over 200 songs to begin with, sitting down together and thinking about the aspects of our vocal ranges, diversity and what we really loved. The Chillies always like to sing about experiences that we have had, or at least been close to. 

We also try to emulate the songwriter’s emotions when he or she was writing the song.

The thought of tackling Motown was much easier in theory than in practice. Rehearsals are intense! 

We have only ever worked with backing tracks, so inviting “Twisted J”, a 7 piece jazz/funk/soul band into our rehearsal space has been an incredible experience. The boys are so talented, creative and supportive! The songs were soon whittled down to the 25 we have been working on.

Berry Gordy was known for being very hands on in shaping the acts on his label. If Motown signed the Three Chillies what do you think he might ask you to do differently? 

Hands on alright! Literally! I think he would want to make Kelly a star, he would want to clone Oriana for multiple stardom potential, and probably ask me to organise the album release! 

He would ask us to rehearse more, and work then make me work on my moves -  although I reckon I do ok for an unco Italian girl! Berry would also ask us to ditch some of the more “colourful” language we can sometime launch into…but we are the Chillies after all!


You each came from various performing backgrounds. What were they and what prompted you to form the trio?

We met during the rehearsal period of a musical. Another member of the cast Sharon Stokes, was finishing her Drama degree and asked Kelly, Ori and I to play 3 well known Broadway stars for her final thesis performance. We had such a fun time playing Mary Martin, Liza Minnelli and Ethel Merman. Although we were so different we gelled instantly and I knew that we were onto something good. 

I created the Three Chillies Theatre Company from that experience because I knew we had captured something special and had a real point of difference. 

You’ve been working together since 2004. It’s an achievement to maintain a professional relationship, or any relationship, for that long. What strengths and weaknesses you’ve discovered in sustaining the trio for 7 years?

We are proud and very happy with our relationship. The fact that our partners, (Belinda, Adam and Lorry) have supported us the whole way through has been an incredible help. Our family and friends have been there since the early days, making sure that the audiences have always been big from day one. We respect each other’s ideas and hear each other out. 

We are now able to read each other on and off stage, and if there is ever a change of plans during the performance, we can go with it. The only weakness we find is staying creative – but all it takes is for one of us to come up with a whacky idea and the Chillie ball is rolling once again.

Do you each have specific roles and jobs within the group or is it all for one and one for all?

Kelly is a trained soprano, and has worked extensively with bands and backing vocals for international artists. Her ability to pick harmonies and her ear for music and the sound is excellent. She is probably the one that decides how our show should flow and is great at arranging the order of the songs, and the banter to match.

Oriana is an incredible talent who started singing and dancing at a very young age and has never looked back. It’s generally Oriana’s role to choreograph our shows as her dance and movement is so amazing. She has taught me stage craft and coaches us beautifully.

I am more of the organizer – and therefore I am back of house, booking gigs, organising the travel, coordinating the Fringe etc. I have a comedic streak that often comes out whilst I am performing, often changing the show completely!

When it comes to the music – we take equal responsibility for the choice of songs and how we should present our shows. We brainstorm, then brainstorm some more… talk a lot, laugh a lot, go out for a drive, get tattoos, then we knuckle down to write and rehearse. There’s always lots of fun – lots of discussion – and lots of junk food to keep us motivated! We wouldn’t have it any other way.

What has been the Three Chillies’ most embarrassing moment on stage? 

When my microphone just plain stopped working – half way through a sold out show during our Adelaide Fringe 2008 show – Hollywood All Bust… I was singing “Will you Still love me tomorrow” and ad libbed “Will you still hear me in the back row?” It honestly got a very big laugh. Kelly and Oriana behind me were also laughing uncontrollably, but we managed to get through it.

If you could commission a new song from any songwriter (past or present) for the Three Chillies to perform, who would you approach?

Sondheim, of course! Closer to home, there is an Australian songwriter by the name of Sean Peter who is tremendously talented – we would love to work with him! 

Venue: Queens Arms Hotel

25-27 Feb @ 10.00pm

All tickets $20

Book at FringeTIX (1300-FRINGE) or click here.

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