Rachael Beck : In Her Own Words

Cabarets can often be introspective affairs for performing artists, looking back at their own lives, careers and experiences.

Whilst many do have interesting enough stories to tell, Rachael Beck and writer James Millar have taken the refreshing approach of turning the spotlight on others.

Sixteen inspiring living Australian women from the arts, science, politics and sport were interviewed as part of the project. Each was introduced as part of a chapter – with an intriguing title.

Teasing details about their life,  and images from their childhood were projected onto a screen. Sound grabs from the subject were broadcast  with the audience challenged to guess their identity.

Rachael Beck is the master of the ceremony. She presented in an elegant top, barefoot, sitting at low table with a pot of tea and a slide carousel.

An accomplished star of musical theatre and TV Rachael sang beautifully, with a range of songs to suit each woman.  A highlight was a stunning rendition of a song by Kate Miller-Heidke. The narration was read from pieces of cardboard in a fashion that was a little repetitious.

The subjects were all fascinating. Chapter Four was called The Tomorrow. We heard from a woman describing her role in a burns unit. She described the challenges patients had in surviving from their injuries.

It could have been any hard-working nurse or doctor but finally the identity was revealed as Fiona Wood, the Australian of the Year who developed spray on skin.

One of my favourites was the story of the caterer who was so upset at the prospect of wasting food from a big city function, that she took all the abundant leftovers to the Matthew Talbot Hostel.

The men “thought it was Christmas” and it inspired Ronni Kahn to set up Oz Harvest.

The cabaret is being staged in Wharf 1 of the Sydney Theatre Company, sharing the glitzy Las Vegas style runway of the flamboyant Opera – Sigmund and Roy.

The form of an intimate cosy documentary cabaret, set in someone’s  lounge room, was a little lost in the big open space where it was performed.

Sharing a venue and set is an understandable compromise as part of a festival. 

One of the subjects however was perfectly suited to the space. The big story and personality of Les Girls legend Carlotta was right at home on the runway.

This was a very fine premiere of a cabaret which deserves to be seen around Australia.

All that was missing was just a sprinkle about the life of Rachael herself, as the audience was not introduced to her,  and perhaps an insight into what she found most inspiring about her subjects.

David Spicer

Photographer: Jacquie Manning