How time flies!
After a successful first week, popular late night variety show, the Backstage Club returned to a packed Space Theatre for an evening of comedy, cabaret and all that jazz with the Festival’s Co-Artistic Director Ali McGregor. McGregor, a former La Clique member who quite literally ran away with the circus after a stint as a soprano opera singer, opened the Adelaide Cabaret Festival show by showcasing the impressive extent of her vocal range.
With no two nights the same, the Backstage Club is currently in it’s second weekend, following the first with New York’s best ‘semi-famous comedian’ Murray Hill. A different line up of guests each night ensures the Backstage Club is always full of surprises with McGregor informing the audience, “The more you drink, the more talented we are”.
Throughout the two-hour performance, McGregor invited an array of special guests to the stage including cabaret stars Kim David Smith, Johanna Allen and vocal percussionist Kaichiro Kitamura (The Idea of North) while she relaxed with a gin on a chaise lounge.
A memorable and comical performance from Dusty Limits, backed by Michael Roulston was complimented by a seriously spine chilling number from Irishwoman and fellow La Clique alumni Camille O’Sullivan
Sporting a hot pink playsuit, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Courtney Act took to the stage to perform a haunting version of the Bee Gee’s Staying Alive. Act’s show, The Girl From Oz, playing in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent is a mixed bag of the greatest Australian hits.
After a medley of classic ‘lady raps’ including Salt-N-Pepa sung cabaret style, McGregor made her way through the crowded theatre with a sultry and powerful performance of I Put A Spell On You. McGregor’s finest moment however came in her rendition of Radiohead’s Creep, which I will never get tired of hearing after previously witnessing it in her 2016 show, Decadence and Club Swizzle in 2015.
The Backstage Club has one more weekend before the end of the 2017 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, with comedy and cabaret star Reuben Kaye hosting the final three nights. To book tickets click here.
Image: Adelaide Cabaret Festival
