Review: FASCINATING AÏDA – ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2024 at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 8th June 2024.

Dillie Keane appeared in a solo performance at this Festival a few years back, but Fascinating Aïda hasn’t been here for far, far too long. That dreadful oversight has been remedied, with three performances by the trio in their 40th Anniversary show. Actually, Dillie Keane and Adèle Anderson have been performing together for 41 years, and Liza Pulman has now clocked up an impressive 20 years with the group. That longevity shows in the wonderful rapport that they share. They perform as one, which fans would have already discovered watching YouTube videos of some of their songs. What can be found on the internet, though, is just a teaser. There are many more numbers in their repertoire and, to hear some of those, it is necessary to attend their performances. Adelaide audiences finally had that chance, and they grabbed it.

The group is now augmented by a fine accompanist, Michael Roulston, which allows Keane to work more closely with the other two, expanding the choreography and accentuating the interaction between them. While he played, the trio entered to an enthusiastic round of applause and cheering. From there on, the laughter and applause, beginning with an hilarious lament of growing old, being let down by our bodies, and contemplating the end. Yes, hilarious. New age healing came into the firing line, to an Asian-influenced pentatonic accompaniment. Clearly, many of the audience related to the number, I’m Getting It.

Keane reclaimed the piano, and cymbals, for Lieder, a favourite of mine featuring Anderson, sending up the German music of the likes of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. Artificial Intelligence was lampooned, and the effects of climate change were highlighted, suggesting a future for a northern clime, set to a Caribbean rhythm. A recently past ex-president of the USA, you can probably guess who, was wonderfully ridiculed, to the great delight of the audience.

Medical beauty enhancement came off badly at the hands of the trio, before a change to a more poignant number with Anderson telling her personal history in Prisoner of Gender. This drew enormous applause and cheers of support. Dogging changed the mood again. The songs just kept coming, in rapid succession until, sadly, time was up, but after a standing ovation, there was still time to fit in an encore, the very popular Cheap Flights.

There are plenty more songs where they came from, so we must hope that Fascinating Aïda returns very soon with a further selection. There is only one performance left, on Sunday afternoon at 4:30, so don’t delay, book your tickets now.

Photography, Kyham Ross.