Hayes Theatre Cabaret Season 2014

Johanna Allen_The Songs That Got Away_cab editorialFor six weeks this winter, Hayes Theatre Co. is turning Sydney’s home for music theatre and cabaret into an exclusively cabaret venue.

Local performers will share the space with artists from around the country and overseas, to create and explore a world where performer and audience enjoy a rare symbiosis, as the fourth wall melts away and the talent is raw and exposed.

Hayes Theatre Co. are thrilled to be hosting experienced masters of the craft, such as Mark Nadler, David Campbell and John Bucchino, Rhonda Burchmore and Donna Lee; up-and-coming young stars like Tom Sharah, Gillian Cosgriff, Brendan Hay, Matt Gilbertson, and Hilary Cole; and even a show where the two worlds meet – Phil Scott’s collaboration with Blake Bowden, Mario.

Cabaret is a form that gives performers a chance to revisit or re-investigate ideas and artists that we thought we knew: Michael Griffiths bring us his award-winning interpretation of the songs of Annie Lennox, while Elise McCann examines the irresistible appeal of Lucille Ball to 1950s America.

Johanna Allen breathes electrifying new life into the songbook of Harold Arlen, and Toby Francis lifts the curtain on a very different songwriter, rock legend Jim Steinman. And for a show that defies description, try Hans: Like a German, direct from sell-out seasons at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy festivals.

As part of their commitment to bring young performers into the cabaret scene, Hayes Theatre Co. will be collaborating with cabaret guru Queenie van de Zandt on a two-week Cabaret Winter Workshop, to help them find their own voice.

From veterans to newcomers, popera to pop music, Hayes Theatre Co’s cabaret season offers a diverse and invigorating range of experiences, and runs from 2 June to 13 July 2014. For more information, visit: www.hayestheatre.com.au for details.

Image: Johanna Allen in The Songs That Got Away: The Music of Harold Arlen – photo by Ella Benove Rowe