Reviews

The Modern Maori Quartet return to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival after their successful debut in 2018.  Looking dapper in their red and black outfits they could cut it with the ‘rat pack’ but their roots are firmly in the Maori tradition of singalong parties.

They bring us a tale ‘between two worlds’, a story of four men in a kind of purgatory waiting between death and the eternal afterlife. The booming female god-like voice requests each of them tell their story, to end their waiting.

This is a delightful collection of stories of five key figures in the City of Port Phillip. Each person is a kind of local star or celebrity in their own right and this project acknowledges their outstanding contribution to their community.

Drew Downing’s Ultimate 90’s Playlist is a nineties rock-concert-cabaret show performed by the charismatic crowd pleaser Drew Downing, backed by a fine ensemble of musicians and singers.  The show begins with a medley mix beginning with “Barbie Girl” (Aqua) and breaks into “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (Deep Blue Something).

Thebarton Theatre is not usually a place one associates with Cabaret. The art form requires connection between the performer and the audience and the creation of a rapport, while threading stories are told. Thebarton Theatre is set up in rows, very tightly seating its patrons. A show like David Campbell- Back in the Swing of Things could very easily have become a concert. This was not the case on opening night as this talented showman wove his magic. He had the place jumping and the audience eating out of his hand.