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Cabaret Fringe.
Almost before you know it the year is half over, the seasons have pushed through into winter, and it's time once again for the Cabaret Festival. In turn, that means it's time for the Cabaret Fringe, held each year at the Weimar Room, just down from King William Street on Hindley Street. It's an excellent location for a Cabaret room, and the fact that there was a slightly seedy authentic night club room which pre-existed in that location made it a very attractive choice for proprietors Torsten Meyer and his partner Jacqueline Frajer.
The two have been busily putting real cabaret on the map for over two years now, and the Cabaret Fringe forms a big part of their yearly endeavor; this year, with the help of some excellent sponsorship and grants money they've been able to put together a programme which shows the broad range of excellent shows they're able to call on. Though they retain the down-to-earth flavour of Cabaret Fringe, I don't think it's an error to call the whole enterprise a "step up" in terms of it's appeal and professionalism.
"I've been telling everyone there's something each night for everybody, so if an act doesn't particularly appeal to you, you can have a drink at the bar, and in half an hour there'll be something you do like," says Meyer with a laugh, establishing the Weimar Room's credentials as a real "alternative" to the Cabaret Festival proper. After all, at the Weimar Room they offer good contemporary cabaret performances throughout the year, so an enhanced programme for three weeks gave them a real chance to see what they could do to push the confines of budget and their audiences expectations of 'cabaret'.
One of the first things they did was bring in an Artistic Director in the form of performer Jo Zealand to help with overseeing the performances and, I would assume, assist in programming.
"I think the most unusual event will be 'The Dreams Of The Chicken'," suggests Meyer quietly, as he peruses the printed guide of events, giving no hint of what is about to come. "Basically the performer, who goes by the name of Hernan Palacio, hypnotises a chicken with a fish. I think it's probably a must-see event." One assumes that no animals are to be harmed in the context of this performance, though the beliefs of audience members might take a bit of a battering; it rather begs the old question "What is cabaret?", doesn't it?
"I guess it's live performance where the audience can be involved. I'm sure they'll be involved in this one!
 "But
there's another act coming from Victoria [Ms Josephine's Kabaret
Misdemeanors] and she's probably the most decadent thing we've
got through the whole season."
Conceived and written by Josephine Fisher, 'Kabaret Misdemeanors' was winner of Melbourne's Best Fringe Cabaret Award 2003. Clearly a deeply disturbed individual, Ms Josephine speaks and sings for the first time about her kidnapping by pirates, the practices of black magic, marriage with Napoleon and her salvation through Jungian analysis.
Meyer points to a couple of other things from the three week long programme which he feels will be great entertainment - pausing to mention he doesn't want to single out any shows over the others particularly - and mentions he is, however very much looking forward to 'You Gotta Have Heart', a tribute to Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, from Michael Morley and students from Flinders University. Elsewhere Kate Fuller (a member of the Berlin Cabaret Fringe show) turns her attention to American singer Eva Cassidy in the tribute show 'Eva'. Reprising the music and singing style of Cassidy, who died some years ago at the age of 33 and had her greatest success posthumously, will not be an easy task for Fuller, who will be accompanied by the Bruce Hancock Trio.
Indeed, Bruce Hancock pops up again - this time in support of the Berlin Cabaret, who do a return season, although in this case the music will not be performed by the regular trio.
Back again for the second season is the man who is the glue to the Cabaret Fringe's soul, Master Of Ceremonies Stephen Sheehan.
Torsten Meyer laughs out loud... "He's going to MC most of the time; a couple of nights he has other obligations, but it's good to have him MCing the whole Fringe. He's the ultimate improviser...
"With his background as a humble comedian he's excellent. He's been described as a 'surreal inconsequentialist' by Simon Farnshaw from 'The Guardian', and that seems to sum it up. The main thing to note is there'll be something going on all night every night; after the booked entertainment we'll be having DJs for a cabaret party."
Meyer also wanted to stress another aspect of the Cabaret Fringe - giving something back. Each night 10% of the box office is to be donated to the HIV Women's Project, supporting HIV positive women in SA. It's a personal thing for he and Jacqueline Frajer; as the Guide to the Cabaret Fringe notes, many Australians still believe that HIV is just a gay man's disease. Such is not the case and this is an excellent opportunity for the community to understand more about the disease and its consequences for the community.
Alex Wheaton
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See you at the Cabaret Fringe - check
out www.cabaretfringe.com.au
or pick up a Guide. The Cabaret Fringe at the Weimar Room
is proudly supported by dB Magazine and you can read reviews
daily on www.dbmagazine.com.au from opening night Friday
June 11. |
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