Be prepared for dark, edgy, twisted and downright hilarious cabaret at the 5th annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival from Thursday 19 June until Sunday 6 July 2014.
Thirty hand-picked shows offer a selection of something special – from sublime vocals to new original songs, 80s sing-alongs to deeply personal and revealing autographical shows. The festival has it all.
‘The Festival will celebrate Melbourne as the nation’s incubator of cabaret talent with more new local shows than ever before,” says David Read, Artistic Director, Melbourne Cabaret Festival. “And I am delighted to announce that the festival has now been extended to three weeks across the City.”
The Opening Gala on Thursday 19 June will be hosted by the fabulous Spanky and feature a diverse range of Festival acts. The Closing Gala on Sunday 6 July will present a star-studded sampling of acts as a fund raiser for the not-for-profit Melbourne Cabaret Festival.
Highlights of the 2014 Melbourne Cabaret Festival include:
Twists and Turns
The award-winning show by Matthew Mitcham – diving gold medal Olympic champion. The show premiered in Perth in February where it won the coveted Fringe World Festival’s Best Cabaret Award. This is Matthew’s last show before his Commonwealth Games appearance in Glasgow.
Up Close and Reasonably Personal
Get Up Close and Reasonably Personal with one of Australia’s leading music theatre ladies, Amanda Harrison (Wicked and We Will Rock You) in an intimate and candid evening of song and conversation.
Sunglasses at Night: The 80s apocalypse sing along cabaret
Geraldine Quinn offers you decadent 80s pop music excess where you can sing along to the gloriously pretentious hits of the era.
A Singer Must Die
Music theatre star Melissa Langtonis women on the verge of a nervous breakdown set to a soundtrack of Leonard Cohen, The Dresden Dolls, Burt Bacharach, Jacques Brel, Loudon Wainwright and Johnny Cash.
Rituals of Art and Hatred
This show sees the return of one of Melbourne’s favourite cabaret artists Michael Dalley accompanied by his long time musical collaborator, John Thorn. Underscoring his material is the tension between his revolutionary impulses and his aspirational, bourgeois lifestyle.
Between The Cracks
Melbourne’s very own diva extraordinaire and cabaret provocateur Yana Alana returns to the stage in Between The Cracks, a bent cabaret of blues, burlesque and blame.
The Three of Us
Three of Australia’s most talented solo performers, Michael Dalton, Rachel Dunham and Luke Gallagher, are coming together to shed their skins in The Three of Us.
The 2014 Melbourne Cabaret Festival runs from Thursday 19 June until Sunday 6 July 2014, and will be launched on Tuesday 29 April. For more information, visit: www.melbournecabaret.com for details.
Image: Matthew Mitcham