Being an adult is weird according to the cast of BeMused. You have to pay for things like rent and food and you are told to dream but to be realistic, a far cry from when you are told “the world is your oyster” and you can “be anything you want to be”. While these ideals are still true for the young performers, they discussed their experiences from their transition into adulthood through their cabaret show, BeMused.
Starring local talents who are surely the next generation of cabaret greats, Naomi Crosby, Jemma Allen, Mellie Tantalos, Harry Nguyen and Benji Riggs the entire audience were ‘amused’ by BeMused.
The group of five young adults, fresh from their graduation of the 2015 Class of Cabaret had been successful in auditioning for a place in the graduate class in January of this year. The five young performers were coached and mentored by Libby O’Donovan and were given creative license to make the show personal.
Accompanied by Mark Ferguson on piano the show featured arrangements ranging from classic jazz tunes to musical theatre and pop rock genres. The diverse set was a reflection of each performers individual tastes and experiences.
From Left: Benji Riggs, Harry Nguyen, Naomi Crosby, Jemma Allen and Mellie Tantalos. Image credit: Lara Merrington
After a stripped back version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody to open the show, the group rewrote the lyrics to I Say a Little Prayer to coincide with our generation’s addiction to technology.
Mellie sang a sweet little tune about online dating and Harry belted out Sara Bareilles’ haunting tune Gravity, relating the song to his experience of moving out of home and missing his mum.
Naomi’s take on the tune Quiet was beautiful and inspiring. The born performer both resembles and sounds like a Disney princess.
The group performed Michael Buble’s tune, Hollywood and then Harry shared his experience of heartbreak and what came after. The wickedly, brilliant revenge song In Short from the musical Edges, frightened everyone a little but made the room erupt in laughter.
Millie returned to the stage for a performance of Don’t Rain on my Parade and Naomi glided in after, wearing a princess tiara, speaking about wanting a ‘fairytale adulthood’ to the tune I Won’t Say. Benji oozed cool with his performance of I’m All Over It and Jemma delighted the crowd and stole food from an unsuspecting table in the front as she changed the lyrics to well known song, The Frim-Fram Sauce.
The highlight of the performance had to be the three women belting out a strong and passionate version of Bonnie Tyler’s track, Holding out for a Hero.
After a few more numbers, the group closed with crowd favourites, We Belong and Somebody to Love. BeMused was a wonderful and youthful showcase by some of Adelaide’s most talented rising stars, who certainly have bright futures ahead of them.
Image credit: Lara Merrington
