Melbourne Cabaret Festival 22nd-25th July - first show featuring Eddie Perfect on sale now
Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 8:40PM 
UPDATE: Ticket and show information for Sydney and Brisbane shows click here.
A dedicated cabaret festival in Melbourne at long last! The very first Melbourne Cabaret Festival will take place this year between 22nd to 25th July at intimate and eclectic premier cabaret venue The Butterfly Club and the adjacent South Melbourne Town Hall. 40 plus performances will be showcased over four nights.
The first show and the world premier of ‘Songs From the Middle’ featuring Eddie Perfect (Shane Warne the Musical), The Brodsky Quartet from the UK and musicians from the National Academy of Music went on sale this month. See it before it opens in Sydney and Brisbane later in the year. Tickets are selling fast – book them before it’s too late.
Songs From the Middle with Eddie Perfect and The Brodsky Quartet
About the show
Comedian, actor, composer, performer and 2009 Helpmann Award winner, Eddie Perfect takes a detour into the world of cabaret with the ever innovative UK based Brodsky Quartet and musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music in his new song cycle.
Like a lot of other white people, Edmund Thomas Perfect was born and raised in suburbia. He had what you would call a ‘good childhood’ in a good suburb called Mentone.
Mentone, with its long stretch of beach, its wide nature-strips, access to public transportation, high quality schools, ten-pin bowling alley, beautiful Catholic church and (much later) Bunnings Warehouse. There wasn’t much you could say was missing.
Still, Edmund couldn’t wait to leave and as soon as he could, he headed to the inner-city, and, as time passed, forgot all about Mentone.
Now, driven by a brand of nostalgia reserved only for new fathers, Edmund Thomas Perfect has decided to return to Mentone in order to find inspiration for a new musical work. What is it about a place that leaves a permanent print? Why is it so difficult to make peace with such a harmless, ultimately charming, seaside suburb?
The same man who penned satirical songs on everything from politics, the media, capitalism and popular culture to an entire musical on the life of Shane Warne, has decided to get personal with a cycle of songs about Mentone. Ranging from the historical to the intimate, the painfully factual to the patently fanciful, these songs pay homage to a place where every third or fourth person knew your name.
This is a piece about the nature of belonging, the reason people live in the places they do, and why those places matter. It’s about remembering and pretending to forget. It’s a show about Mentone. The show will tour to the Sydney Opera House from Sunday 1 August and the Brisbane Powerhouse on Friday 6 August after its world premiere at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Music director: Iain Grandage
The Brodsky Quartet
The Brodsky Quartet are Daniel Rowland, violin; Ian Belton, violin; Paul Cassidy, viola; and Jacqueline Thomas, cello. T They are also known for their pioneering work with a diverse range of performing artists, including singers Elvis Costello, Sting, Anne Sofie von Otter, Dawn Upshaw and Björk.
Dinner and show information
A two course à la carte fixed-price dinner option is available, which must be booked at the time of ticket purchase. To view the menu, Click Here
While seating is arranged at tables of 8 or 10, any number of tickets can be selected.
Read the review on The Age by Martin Ball here.
Songs From the Middle with Eddie Perfect and The Brodsky Quartet
Date: Sunday 25 July 2010
Dinner from 7pm, Performance starts 8.30pm
Tickets: Dinner and Show package/ $104 Full, $99 Concession, Show only/ $50 Full, $45 Concession (+ transaction fee)
Venue: South Melbourne Town Hall
Bookings: Click here or call 1300 273 896 (a higher transaction fee applies for phone bookings)
Related Post:
2010 Melbourne Cabaret Festival : Full line-up announced – tickets on sale now
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