WANDA AND MEL to Debut at Melbourne Fringe

Before Mel was born, Wanda was on track to stardom, once even dubbed the 'next Tina Arena' by her high school drama teacher. But all that changed when the realities of single parenthood caused her budding career to flat-line. Now, 17 years later, she's reinvented herself and brought Mel with her, returning to the stage as half (3/4?) of a sassy, quirky (but low-key reluctant) mother-daughter cabaret duo, Wanda and Mel!

A courageous musical reverie that propels audience members through the joy of '80s power ballads, spontaneous lyrical rap and the low-key Millennial angst of modern tween pop, Wanda and Mel is a cathartic journey that will navigate the turbulent waters of diversity, sacrifice and motherhood while being funny AF. Srsly fam, this show is frickidy-fresh - and guaranteed to appeal to mothers and daughters of any age.

Wanda and Mel debuts at Melbourne Fringe, and is performed by veteran Australian actress, improviser and comedian, Amanda Buckley; and making her Australian stage debut is 17-year-old VCE student and South Africa's Got Talent Semi-Finalist, Kaliya Arumugam, as Mel - the youngest performer to step foot on the Butterfly Club stage. Directed and written by Candice D'Arcy (Kaliya's mother) - winner of the Fleur du Cap Award (South Africa) for Best Performance in a Cabaret or Review, 2009 - and featuring musical arrangements by Jamie Burgess, of Butch Masters: Man of Destiny fame.

"I am well aware of the real-life Stagemom overtones, given the fact that I am the creator of the show and Kaliya's mother! I'd been toying with the idea of a mother-daughter-themed show for ages, and suddenly it all just came together in my head at a time when Kaliya was ready to be part of it. And I should say, Kaliya is one super-talented young woman, and she has been clear about being a performer since she was a tiny thing, so this isn't Dance Moms! She wants to do this and I know she is going to kill it!" Candice

Wanda and Mel hits the stage at The Butterfly Club on 25 September and runs until 1 October. Bookings recommended through thebutterflyclub.com.