Hootenanny with Mark Nadler

Mark Nadler has returned after a Covid-hiatus to sprinkle fabulousness all over the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and he seems utterly delighted to be back.

The artist is a force of nature, and as a ridiculously talented singer, pianist, tap dancer, comic, and raconteur the stage is his domain.  And at Hootenanny on Saturday night there were some crazily good impersonations too - Bette Davis singing “Spoonful of Sugar” and more. Nadler performed his remarkable solo show Razzle Dazzle: Lies Liars and Lying earlier in the week but with Hootenanny the atmosphere is more chaotic, more spontaneous, and, well… just MORE.

Based on his regular Broadway Hootenanny gigs in New York, staged over many years, this show boasts special guests and truckloads of hilarity - and champagne!  Once the rubber chook is tossed (or is it a cock?) and the unsuspecting catcher of said item is mercilessly (but innocently) scrutinized and promised all manner of special ‘treatment’ all in the name of Cabaret, the show begins in earnest with “Let The Good Times Roll” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” plus some flamboyant piano artistry.  Who knew one performer could wring so much sound and volume from a grand piano - I hope the poor instrument has time to recover.

The other feature of Hootenanny is the enticement of ‘special’ guests to the stage followed by whatever planned or improvised mayhem ensues. First up are Julia Zemiro and Virginia Gay. French born Zemiro, one of the nine directors of this 2023 Festival, converses eloquently in French with Nadler doing his very best to keep up.  The divine Virginia Gay, just that evening announced as the 2024 Cabaret Festival Director, brings her signature effervescence along and the three segue seamlessly into Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” with its notorious French refrain.

Next Nadler calls for “something sophisticated” and hands the stage over to Adelaide’s own Michael Griffiths, fresh from his own Festival show.  Griffiths entertains with his take on Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top”, the lyric alterations penned to celebrate the Adelaide Festival Centre’s 50^th anniversary for the gala concert.  Deciding on a little more Porter (because why not?), Nadler entices Griffiths to begin “Let’s Do It”. Throughout the song the two swap places and clown, until eventually they end up both perched on the piano stool in a possibly compromising position with all four hands working the keyboard.

As much as Nadler is a consummate showman, I am always touched by his execution of a ballad.  With Porter’s “I Love Paris In The Springtime” his ability to convey mood, character, and fragile emotional content is brought to the fore.  Nadler can effortlessly paint a clear dramatic picture through song and characterization which is a welcome counterpoint to his grand, over the top set pieces.

One more special guest is beckoned to the stage, this time the actress, writer, director, improviser and internationally renowned cabaret performer Sarah-Louise Young who brought a new work to the Festival this year - An Evening Without Kate Bush.  This segment was where Nadler unleashed his astute vocal impressions as Young gave us a sweet and pure rendition of “A Spoonful of Sugar”. Fortunately, we also heard one of her own compositions (co-written with Michael Roulston) with Nadler behaving in the guise of a sensitive accompanist.  The song is a fabulous take-down of those who thrust their babies at unwilling friends: “Please Don’t Hand Me Your Baby”. Definitely worth a listen!

Several more luminaries joined Nadler on stage as the chaos continued and amplified: Libby O’Donovan, Michelle Nicolle, David Campbell, and even Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s Executive Producer Alex Sinclair.  One stand-out was O’Donovan singing "It's a Man's World" as a tribute to Renée Geyer.  Finally, all the guests were gathered on stage and Hootenanny drew to a close, but not before our Cabaret icon gave us a serve of his exceptional tap dancing. 

This New Yorker is a machine with supernatural energy and resilience and it was such a pleasure to have him in town again.  Cabaret is not dead and Nadler is a supreme purveyor of the genre.  If you’ve never seen him in the flesh, you really should make the effort.

Lisa Lanzi

Photographer: Claudio Raschella