Reviews

The Melbourne Cabaret Festival is celebrating its tenth year at Chapel Off Chapel.

This year’s Gala host, feisty Festival Ambassador Sally Bourne (accompanied by her partner in crime Drew Downing on piano) commenced proceedings by belting out a joyful rendition of “Big Time” (Peter Gabriel), preceding her boisterous introduction to a selection of many of the wild and wonderful acts participating in this year’s festival.

Beginning with a beautiful lilting rendition of the Lord’s Prayer in Tongan followed immediately by a traditional Irish Lullaby, Vika and Linda Bull introduced the audience to their parents and their childhood. Their mother was a powerful singer and the lead soloist in the Tongan Church they attended every Sunday, and their father was an Australian who sang them to sleep every night.

Megan Hilty is pure magic. Magic of the incandescent, amazing, feel-good kind.

Backed by a brilliant 40 piece orchestra led by MD supremo Michael Tyack, Ms Hilty gave a concert that, for the mostly music theatre fans in the audience, dazzled with the "Wow" factor.

A woman and a man sit on the stage, their arms and legs entwined, their faces just inches apart. They talk quietly, lovingly – tenderly. A hand brushes away hair from a face; they almost kiss.

This is the scene we face as we walk into the well-lit auditorium, soft music providing a cushion to our inevitable murmurs of conversation when we take our seats. Then the house lights fade; the stories begin.