Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 4th October 2015
Completely UNsurprisingly,
Rob Mills is Surprisingly Good. If you thought that some deep dark secrets were going to be revealed in his first cabaret performance, when his brief affair at the age of 21 with the 33 year old
Paris Hilton was widely reported in every newspaper and tacky magazine, you would have been crazy. What else could there be, worse than that faux pas?
Rather than entering from the side of the stage, he entered through the door from the street, dressed in a dinner suit and singing his way to the stage where, shortly after, he announced that "I am not that man", promptly discarding the jacket. The phrase appears a few more times during the show, but I will not elaborate, as that would spoil the fun for future audiences.
Rob Mills is a personable young man, chatting easily with his audience, and not afraid to make fun of any of his past mistakes, especially that one. His show takes us from his early forays into singing, including a home video of a school performance. We all have those photographs of our early lives, with the dreadful hairstyles and poor clothing choices. Most of us keep them, if at all, carefully hidden away in a box at the back of a cupboard. Not so, cabaret performers with a flair for humour. Mills pulls out the photos and videos and up they go on the wall behind him for all to see, as he makes comments on each of them, causing much laughter.
His appearance on that dreadful, over-hyped television talent show, Australia Idol, naturally came under inspection, leading hi to the party where he met
Paris Hilton. The less said of that episode, the better, one would have thought but, as it now ancient history it was fair game for his sharp wit. The show's title relates to that contest, people meaning that he is surprisingly good compared to what they saw way back then, as though he had done nothing since. He has, of course, done a great deal.
He has moved on from pop and, due to spending some time in England, has found a love for, and a career in musical theatre. Being new to the genre, his description of his first attempt at an audition gave us a few more good laughs. Fortunately, though, he got the role, opening up that new phase in his career.
Along with the story of his life and career so far, Mills has assembled a large collection of songs that add to the tales, so many that they flew past in rapid succession, covering such a great range of styles and meanings, matched to his narrative.
Mills was fortunate to have with him a very talented young man from Melbourne, Daniele Buatti, accompanying him on keyboards, and providing backing vocals and sound effects. There is far more to being an exceptional accompanist than being a great pianist. That, of course, is essential, but accompanying requires other skills, and Buatti has the lot.
Rob Mills gave his fans what they wanted and many stayed on to speak to him and congratulate him on his new beginning as a cabaret performer. A good night was had by all.
Additional late information: The performance that was to have taken place today, Monday, was cancelled as, unfortunately,
Rob Mills was unwell, but he hopes to make a return visit at a later date.
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