Review: VARIETY GALA – ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2024 at Adelaide Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Friday 7th June 2024.

Hosted by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Virginia Gay, the opening night Variety Gala is again packed with many of this year’s Cabaret Festival performers, each presenting snippets of their shows. It is directed by Mitchell Butel and musically directed by Shannon D. Whitelock. As usual, it sold out well in advance. It began with the Welcome to Country, delivered by Isaac Hannam, and Virginia Gay then introduced the Gala, and sang the somewhat patriotic song, Adelaide, written by Ben Folds.

On the way to perform in their own show, Fascinating Aïda: Dillie Keane, Adèle Anderson, and Liza Pulman, with accompanist, Michael Roulston, presented a number that was ten years in the writing, telling of Anderson's early life story, Prisoner of Gender, from their 40th anniversary show. The enduring popularity of this group was reflected in the audience's response. Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait long before they are back again.

From his show, Swing on This, the rich-voiced Bert LaBonté sang Let’s Get it On, Marvin Gay’s sexually charged number. From the audience response, it seemed that many might have accepted that request.

Gillian Cosgriff’s show is called Actually, Good and, from this, she sang one of her very funny song, Presents. If you have ever received inappropriate, unwanted, or simply thoughtless gifts, you will certainly be able to relate to this one.

Millicent Sarre is one of this year’s Class of Cabaret mentors, a previous graduate of that project, and another performer who can come up with songs to make you laugh. Her contribution to the evening was I Can Cook Too written by Alysha Umphress, Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden & Adolph Green for the musical, On the Town.

English comedy duo, Flo and Joan, kept the laughter going with their very clever alliteration-filled number in folk music style, which included playing recorders, Lady in the Woods, from their show, Now Playing. The laughter increased with every hilarious verse.

Jess Hitchcock followed on, with a wonderfully emotive version of the Olivia Newton-John song, Suspended in Time, from her show, A Fine Romance.

Cabaret Festival stalwart, and incredibly multi-talented, Mark Nadler, closed the first half with George and Ira Gershwin’s I Love a Piano, interspersed with humorous patter, and snippets of Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer, Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, better known as Für Elise, Euphemia Allen’s Chopsticks, and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. You’d swear that he had a dozen fingers on each hand. He is here to present three nights of his ever-popular late-night Hootenanny, which is certain to sell out to his legion of fans.

The flamboyant and irreverent, Reuben Kaye, opened the second half, generating much laughter with his introduction, leading into the song, I Want Ya, interrupted with more funny dialogue. His show this year is titled, The End, and will close the Festival in a fortnight. Following his contribution to the Gala, Reuben Kaye was surprised by Virginia Gay, who presented him with the prestigious 2024 Adelaide Cabaret Festival Icon Award.

Gabbi Bolt and Matthew Predny are presenting their musical, Murder for Two, in which they play thirteen different characters, and they performed four-hand piano on the lively Encore Duet from that show, the only instrumental number of the evening.

From the comedy show, A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying, Cassie Hamilton sang Falling in Love With Someone

That great all-round Australian entertainer, Rhonda Burchmore, then took to the stage, bringing all of her experience to a performance of Moving The Line, singing up a storm as only she can. Her show, Tall Tales, is sure to sell out.

Christie Whelan Browne is here, appearing with others in Hopelessly Devoted, a tribute to Olivia Newton-John, and with her own show, Life in Plastic. With Virginia Gay donning a leather jacket, they joined forces to sing a rousing version of You’re the One That I Want.

All good things must come to an end, and Mahalia Barnes gave a blockbuster rendition of River Deep Mountain High, her powerful voice and great energy providing a big finish to this year’s Gala.

The annual Variety Gala is always well worth attending, not only as a great night of entertainment in and of itself, but also as a wonderful way to get a chance to sample many of the shows on offer in time to book tickets for some that you might otherwise have missed.

Photography, Claudio Raschella.