24th Adelaide Cabaret Festival commences this weekend

Following its red carpet opening and Variety Gala last night, the 24th Adelaide Cabaret Festival commences this weekend - lighting up Adelaide Festival Centre and the Riverbank Precinct until 22nd June.  

Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Virginia Gay’s debut program showcases world-class singers and storytellers throughout 76 performances over 12 nights, including 16 world premieres and 22 Adelaide premieres by Australia’s best classic and contemporary cabaret acts and international artists from the USA, United Kingdom and New Zealand.  

Gay enthused “Adelaide Cabaret Festival, in all its sparkling joy, is known by audiences and stars the world over. As this year’s Artistic Director, I am thrilled to introduce our glorious audiences to an incredible array of talent – from the game-changing iconic acts, to the up and comers who I know you’re going to love. So, dress up, come along, and see some world class Australian acts and international stars.”

Adelaide Festival Centre Chief Executive and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier shared “Adelaide Cabaret Festival is a shining star in Adelaide Festival Centre’s year-round program of festivals, and we look forward to welcoming our passionate cabaret audiences from across the country to the Riverbank precinct for a spectacular three weeks of the world’s best cabaret acts.”

South Australian Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels added“Adelaide is home to the biggest cabaret festival in the world and it’s 24th star-studded program is filled with must-see performances by talented Australian and international artists. I congratulate Virginia Gay and the Adelaide Festival Centre team on putting together an incredible festival program.”

On opening weekend, audiences can look forward to Kate Miller-Heidke’s Catching Diamonds at Dunstan Playhouse. See Kate sparkle alongside collaborator Keir Nuttall in a riveting showcase of original hits, musical numbers, unexpected covers, and debut material from her forthcoming sixth studio album.  

Award-winning cabaret artist Gillian Cosgriff returns to the festival this weekend, with her heartwarming and hilarious show, Actually, Good - winner of Most Outstanding Show at the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

In a funk-soul frenzy, Australian blues-rock royalty Mahalia Barnes & The Soulmates will rip the lid off Adelaide Festival Centre’s Banquet Room on June 7 & 9. And in a sparkly celebration of sisterhood, Christie Whelan Browne presents a brand-new bubblegum pop cabaret, Life in Plastic on June 8.

 International acts include iconic trio Fascinating Aïda, direct from the UK with their diamond-sharp satire, lyrical wit and belligerent sass in The 40th Anniversary Show, and a raucous and absurd take on Jekyll & Hyde from New Zealand’s A Slightly Isolated Dog.

Next week classic cabaret fans will delight in the return of Australian musical theatre royalty, Rhonda Burchmore when she tells her Tall Tales of the rich and famous, from Presidents to Hollywood stars. While Australia’s leading kings of swing, Swing on This, will celebrate a decade on the stage with a new show that’s suave, slick and oh-so-swoon-worthy.  

A celebration of the decades-long legacy of the late luminary, Dame Olivia Newton-John, will be presented in a special and heartfelt concert at Festival Theatre in Hopelessly Devoted featuring former Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director David Campbell, Jess Hitchcock, Georgina Hopson and Christie Whelan Browne and hosted by Tottie Goldsmith who will pay special tribute to her aunty Olivia Newton-John, with the incredible power of Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.  

In an Adelaide exclusive, world-class Indigenous singer Jess Hitchcock pays homage to the jazz, blues, opera and rock that have shaped her truly unique sound and genre-defying voice in A Fine Romance - Songs That Made Me.   

Free events include Michael Griffiths in Big Gay Sing at the Quartet Bar and All The Queens Men LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club in the second weekend. Beloved Adelaide Cabaret Festival institution Dr Trevor Jones will play his Piano Man extravaganza nightly in the Quartet Bar during the final two weeks.

Produced and presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival has been a platform for shows and performers who have achieved critical acclaim and featured world-renowned artists including Ms Lisa Fischer, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Dita Von Teese, Eddie Perfect and Tim Minchin to name a few.  

Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2024 sparkles from 7th-22nd June at Adelaide Festival Centre.

Full program and tickets at adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au

Image. Catherine Alcorn The Divine Miss Bette