Celebrating twenty-two years of open-access artistry, the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe presented a VIP preview at Arthur’s Art Bar, promising an exciting program to come. Creating a Cabaret Fringe Festival was the vision of the late Frank Ford AM, father of the Fringe and founder of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Conceived in 2001 as the ‘enfante terrible’ precocious sibling of Frank’s Cabaret Festival, it was strongly supported by then Arts Minister, the much-loved Di Laidlaw.
Fast forward to today and the festival has steadily grown over the years with over 40 shows spread out at over a dozen venues. There really is something for everyone from Peter Goer’s hilarious production of Cowardy Cowardy Custard at Holden Street Theaters to the R+ rated Bourbon and Burlesque at Prompt Creative Centre, with everything in between.
At the VIP preview, city councilors mingled with venue operators, performers and sponsors. The formal speeches echoed the importance and value of the Cabaret Fringe. On emcee duty, the outrageous Leather Lungs is a delight, seamlessly harnessing his ADHD to slip between ocker wisecracks and camp flamboyance. No topic is off-limits for this performer. The Melbourne-based cabaret, puppetry, and contemporary theatre performer has been selected to attend Glastonbury next year. (check out the gofundme to help his team get there) Leather Lungs performs every night at Arthur Art Bar and it promises to be a raunchy evening of guest acts.
The best part about a gala night such as this is the taste of what is on offer for the festival. Jodie Atkinson presented a song from her show “Have You Met My Grief?’ which proves that deep poignancy is as much a part of this festival as dancing showgirls. This show plays one night only on June 1st at Diverse-City in Gouger Street. Whilst we didn’t get to see it, “An Evening with Granny Smith”, is a ventriloquist act about an apple playing at Howling Owl.
Of course it wouldn’t be cabaret with burlesque and there were feathers, sequins and not much else along the way. The evening closed with an Amanda Palmer styled songstress, Frankly with her hilarious song about being banned from Kilburn Savers.
The festival itself is quite short, running from May 24th to June 2nd, so don’t delay booking in a show or two. There are shows at Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewery, free street parties in King William Road and burlesque shows upstairs at Nineteen Ten and many more.
Check out the program here
