Queensland Cabaret Festival returns with a soulful, scintillating and scandalous program welcoming artists from all corners of the globe, as well as some of our best home-grown talents. Expect an eclectic mix of touching songs, playful parodies, heartfelt storytelling and outrageous comedy.
From Broadway stars to silver screen icons, this year’s festival shines a spotlight on the best cabaret has to offer. Centerstage this year will be Broadway sensation Megan Hilty, actor and comedian Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, Spinal Tap) with singer/ songwriter Judith Owen, cult movie icon Molly Ringwald, and Grammy award winning vocalist Lisa Fischer, as well as an unforgettable line-up of virtuosic singers, comic characters and world-class musicians.
Whether you want an evening soaked in nostalgia or a contemporary romp of music re-imagined, this year’s Festival will connect with your musical soul and leave you singing out for more.
Alison St Ledger Co-Festival Director
Megan Hilty in Concert
“A wicked good performance… we’ll let her be our star anytime”
Broadway World
Thursday 9 June, 7.30pm
Concert Hall, QPAC
Duration 90 minutes
Tickets $68 - $104
+ $6.95 transaction fee
Presented by QPAC
Book qpac.com.au or call 136 246
Megan Hilty is best known for starring roles in the hit television series SMASH, and the Broadway musicals
Wicked and 9 to 5: The Musical.
Called a ‘burgeoning blonde bombshell’ by The Daily Beast, Hilty’s sensational voice and star power are the perfect vehicle for a trip through the American Songbook, featuring songs like They Just Keep Moving the Line (Smash), Almost Like Being In Love/This Can’t Be Love, The Man That Got Away, Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, Heart of the Matter, Autumn Leaves/When October Goes, Someone to Watch Over Me, Get Happy and The Rainbow Connection.
For her debut Australian tour, Megan will be accompanied by a four-piece band including her musical director and pianist Matt Cusson and husband Brian Gallagher on guitar.
“…a baffling range of talents and influences from Nixon to Mr Burns and with a lot of music in between.” Evoke.ie
This Infernal Racket Harry Shearer and Judith Owen
Sunday 12 June, 6.30pm
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 90 minutes
Tickets $79 + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
Presented Brisbane Powerhouse in association with Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
Witness comedy-mastermind
Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, Spinal Tap) and acclaimed singer-songwriter Judith Owen as they tackle life and all its distractions head-on in this special performance.
In This Infernal Racket, the real-life couple deal with the subjects of fame, celebrity, politics, religion and relationships the only way they know how!
Soulful Welsh singer Owen found emotionally confessional songwriting and a good sense of humour to be the sure way of escaping the voices of anxiety in her head. Comedy writer-actor Shearer was drawn to creating satirical music to make sense of the manic and maniacal voices of a politics and media world racing to a bottom that seemed bottomless.
There will be there laughter, music, compassion and cruelty, and by the end of the night Owen and Shearer’s opposite approaches will help you make perfect sense of the world around us.
An Evening with Molly Ringwald
“... the ultimate nostalgic trip”
The Guardian
Friday 3 June, 7.30pm
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Tickets $79 + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org
or call 07 3358 8600
Saturday 4 June, 7.30pm
Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
Tickets $79 + transaction fee
Book tanksartscentre.com or call 1300 855 835
Duration 90 minutes
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse and Tanks Arts Centre
Molly Ringwald is known for cult classics like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink, but you’ll soon love her for her sultry jazz tones and stunning stage presence.
In An evening with Molly Ringwald, the star pushes aside her pop culture status and takes centre stage to perform classics from the Great American Songbook along with some unexpected musical favourites.
Part nostalgic trip, part homage to classic cabaret, this sassy performance is accompanied by her jazz trio and features interpretations of I’ll Take Romance, The Very Thought of You and Don’t You Forget About Me.
“... superlative arrangementsmajoring in opulent blues, jazz noir settings - refresh songs as daunting as It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) and First We Take Manhattan. To give such standards precious new life is quite an achievement.”
Sunday Times
HARD RAIN
The songs of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen
The UK’s finest interpreter of song, Barb Jungr returns to the songs of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen with her album Hard Rain.
Friday 3 June, 7.00pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $48 + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
Brisbane Powerhouse & Gaynor Crawford
Presents Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
Experience Jungr’s insightful and intelligent interpretations of well-loved songs combined with her powerful and often witty performance style.
Often referred to as ‘the politicised chansonnier’ and cited as one of the world’s best performers of Dylan’s material, Barb turns to six of his most politically hard-hitting songs along with five of Leonard Cohen’s most impassioned songs of conscience. Barb’s selection for Hard Rain reflects her personal despair with the political times that we live in and she has deliberately chosen songs that resonate as strongly today as they did when they were originally written.
You’ve heard her voice. She’s performed with Luther Vandross and Tina Turner, toured with The Rolling Stones and sung with Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Nine Inch Nails.
But at QPAC in June, Lisa Fischer takes centre stage.
The New York Times
Friday 10 June, 8pm
Concert Hall, QPAC
Duration 90 minutes
Tickets $39 - $75 + $6.95 transaction fee
Presented by QPAC Book qpac.com.au or call 136 246
Join Ms. Lisa Fisher and her co-conspirators Grand Baton as they revisit the iconic songs etched into her heart including tunes like Wild Horses, It’s Only Rock and Roll, Fever, and her Grammy-winning original How Can I Ease the Pain.
Photo credit: Djeneba Aduayom
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Saturday 4 June, 7.30pm
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 90 minutes
Tickets $45*
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Electric Moon
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
The smash hit of the 2016 MELT Festival returns for the Queensland Cabaret Festival.
Directed by James Lees, eight of Brisbane’s finest vocalists and a mighty 12-piece supergroup perform David Bowie’s masterpiece album in its entirety as well as Bowie material from this, and other, eras of his astounding career on Earth as an artist and musician.
With some new ideas, songs and reimagining, this iteration of the show will delve a little deeper into some of Bowie’s darker and more theatrical works — all still with the emotional intensity and beating rock and roll heart of the ZIGGY phenomenon at its core.
* + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
I See Me & Meryl Streep
Saturday 4 June, 7.00pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $35*
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Alexandra Keddie
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
I See Me & Meryl Streep charts the extraordinary life and talents of the most celebrated actress of modern times.
Audiences will be presented with a whirlwind tour of Streep’s most famous roles, accents, acceptance speeches and songs from the poster-filled bedroom of Meryl’s greatest fan, a 17-year-old girl with the dream of being a ‘somebody’.
Featuring music from ABBA, Sondheim, Ray Charles and more ABBA, I See Me & Meryl Streep is a nostalgic exploration of some of cinema’s most loved and memorable characters. Through sequins and hilarity, Alexandra Keddie reminds us all what it feels like to have stars in our eyes and the world at our feet.
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Queensland Cabaret Foundation
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org
or call 07 3358 8600
Hot on the heels of her recent appearances in Women in Voice and Australia’s Got Talent, musical comedy star, Queenie van de Zandt, brings her cult-character, Jan van de Stool back to Brisbane in this multi-award nominated satirical swipe at self-help.
In I Get the Music In You an evening with Jan van de Stool, Jan flogs her courses, books and BBQ aprons with hilarious monotony, takes interpretive dancing to new heights, and finishes with a ‘colonic irrigation of the spirit’. Jan’s grip on the English language constantly comes unstuck, as does the evening, when one of her student’s extraordinary singing talent undoes Jan and makes for an ending that leaves the audience screaming for more.
Broadway Hootenanny began as a mad-cap weekly variety show at the New York City landmark theatrical restaurant, Sardi’s.
A favourite event around the world, including a staple performance at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Theatremakers is proud to host Mark’s Brisbane debut.
Anything can happen at the Hootenanny, and it usually does. This is a show that is completely created according to the local guest stars the producer provides — always a one-of-a-kind event that is unique to that particular venue and the people who perform there. Throughout it all, Mark Nadler entertains in his inimitable fashion: singing, playing piano and tap dancing as well as keeping the audience in stitches with outrageous comedy.
Carol Lloyd reveals The Rat Pack’s scandalous underbelly, full of booze, broads and bad behavior. She is Carl Loud, the Aussie crooner from Carina — a ranga along for the ride who could have made it — if they’d let him!
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Troy Armstrong Management
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
Carl became The Rat Pack’s driver, drink-waiter and doorman, rescuing starlets with tainted dreams and broken bra straps.
The parties raged from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe, and Carl mixed with Presidents, Movie Stars and the Mafia. Now he’s blabbing all the Rat Pack’s hilarious secrets, singing their hits and shooting for the Moon with big neon stars in his eyes!
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
“The five-piece band was energetic, funny, pitch-perfect and undeniably dedicated to this particular ear in Rock ‘n’ Roll”
AAA Backstage
Revel in the roots of rock’n’roll as musical history comes to life in this tribute to the Memphis greats.
Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Rufus Thomas Jnr, Howlin’ Wolf and many more all had one thing in common — they all launched their careers at the famous Sun Records in Memphis.
This critically acclaimed production pays tribute to the incredible roster of artists. Join us for a passionate and musically spectacular cabaret show that has sold out theatres around Australia.
Sun Rising The Songs That Made Memphis
Songbird Songs of Eva Cassidy
Friday 10 June, 7.00pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $40 + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
Songbird brings to life the story of a performer who has touched the lives of millions of people around the world.
A voice so beautiful, her unique arrangements of beloved classics would become a global phenomenon.
Melbourne singer and harpist Alana
Conway showcases a collection of Eva’s stunning arrangements including Over the Rainbow, Fields of Gold and Autumn Leaves, but also the story and inspiration behind the artist.
Performing favourites from across all ten albums, Conway tracks Cassidy’s ups and downs from the perspective of an avid fan in a night of storytelling and heartstopping eloquent melodies.
Livespark
Sunday 5 & 12 June, 3.30pm
Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 90 minutes
FREE
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Powerhouse’s weekly free live music event features two amazing local cabaret stars in June, with Amy Michaels and the Bertie Paige Clinic Glam Cabaret Soiree.
Spend the afternoon with a mix of witty tunes, toe-tapping jazz and tongue-incheek burlesque with Amy Michaels. Amy’s powerhouse voice and quirky lyrics will make audiences giggle and swoon.
Then return the following Sunday for the outrageous glam ensemble, Bertie Paige Clinic Glam Cabaret Soiree, a naughty love child of classic rock and grand theatre tradition.
Grab a drink, grab a seat and spend the afternoon in Powerhouse’s free and fabulous live music lounge.
Photo credit: Raw Bones Photography
Sunday 5 June, 6.30pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $38 + transaction fee
($3 single/$6 multiple tickets)
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Michael Griffiths
Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
Internationally acclaimed cabaret performer Michael Griffiths explores the colourful life and timeless songs of Cole Porter.
Michael Griffiths Cole
Hedonism, grave misfortune, enduring love and a legacy that sparkles with wit and wisdom, Griffiths takes audiences on a timeless musical journey. Performing classic Porter tunes, including You’re The Top, It’s De-Lovely, Let’s Do It and Night and Day, Griffiths is considered one of the best Cole Porter interpreters and is not to be missed. Written by bestselling author Anna Goldsworthy (Piano Lessons) and winner Best Cabaret Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award.
DOUBLE BILL
Tyrone & Lesley in a Spot
Sunday 12 June, 5.00pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $25* / Double bill ticket with Warmwaters $45*
Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & Metro Arts. Produced by Metro Arts. Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
For one night only the inimitable Tyrone and Lesley entwine their beautiful, funny music with moving images of skies, suns and moons, clarity and clouds, flickering bulbs and high windows.
A ukulele-led dance of screen and song where there are no wallflowers, Tyrone & Lesley in a Spot will transport you all the way to exactly where you are. It’s funny ha ha, funny weird and a little bit funny valentine. It’s Tyrone. It’s Lesley. It’s their high spots in bright lights. Charming, poetic, absurd and unique, you have never seen anything like this.
Warmwaters
Sunday 12 June, 7.00pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Duration 60 minutes
Tickets $25* / Double bill ticket with Tyrone & Lesley in a Spot $45* Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse & debase productions Book brisbanepowerhouse.org or call 07 3358 8600
If you love folk music, you will love this show. If you hate folk music, you’ll love it even more. Everyone enjoys good roots, and Warmwaters stand ready to folk you right up with their songs of romance and other issues. They’ve got a lot of issues.
Lena and Luke Warmwater have been described as “...the southern hemisphere’s most inspirational nu-folk duo.” Never heard of them? What is going on in your life?
Brisbane Powerhouse is a centre of contemporary culture and presents over 1,000 events a year, including theatre, music, comedy, dance, film, visual arts, festivals and ideas, offering Brisbane a chance to experience something different any day of the week. Brisbane Powerhouse is Brisbane City Council’s leading arts performance venue and features a variety of spaces and theatres that house everything from festivals to intimate weddings.
Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 12–4pm, 90 min prior to performance.
QPAC
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is one of Australia’s leading centres for live performance. For over 30 years QPAC has been collaborating with and hosting leading international and Australian actors, dancers, musicians, artists and companies. Since opening in 1985, QPAC has welcomed more than 20 million visitors to a wide variety of performances including dance, musicals, theatre, opera, comedy and contemporary and classical music concerts.
Cnr Grey & Melbourne Streets, South Bank Qld 4101 136 346 qpac.com.au
Box Office Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–8.30pm, one hour prior to each performance.
Tanks Art Centre
Tanks Arts Centre is one of the most highly distinctive and dynamic performance spaces in the country. Housed in three converted WW2 naval oil storage tanks, and set amidst a lush rainforest backdrop in Tropical North Queensland, this iconic contemporary arts centre has long presented a strong, award-winning music program, offering the best of Australian and international artists working across the full gamut of genres, from jazz to hip-hop.
46 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill, Cairns 1300 855 835 www.ticketlink.com.au
Box Office Hours:
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm at Council’s Customer Service Centre
119–145 Spence Street, Cairns. Sat 8.30am-1pm at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre, 64 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill
* Correct at time of printing.
Festival schedule
Concert Hall, Evening Show QPAC
Friday Saturday June 3 June 4
Powerhouse Theatre, Evening Show 7.30pm 7.30pm
Brisbane An Evening The Rise and Powerhouse with Molly Fall of Ziggy Ringwald Stardust and (p5) the Spiders from Mars (p8)
Visy Theatre, Matinee Brisbane Powerhouse Evening Show
7.00pm 7.00pm
HARD RAIN I See Me The songs & Meryl of Bob Dylan Streep (p8) and Leonard Cohen (p6)
Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse
Tanks Art Centre, 7.30pm Cairns An Evening with Molly Ringwald (p5)
Sunday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
June 5 June 7 June 9 June 10 June 11 June 12
7.30pm 8.00pm Megan Hilty Lisa Fischer in Concert (p3) & Grand Baton (p7)
6.00pm 7.30pm 6.30pm I Get the Sun Rising - This Infernal Music In You The Songs Racket (p9) That Made Harry Shearer Memphis (p11) and Judith Owen (p4)
5.00pm 5.00pm
Fly Me to Tyrone & the Moon Lesley in (p10) a Spot (p14)
6.30pm 7.00pm 7.00pm 7.00pm 7.00pm Michael Broadway Songbird - Fly Me to Warmwaters Griffiths - Hootenanny Songs of the Moon (p14) Cole starring Eva Cassidy (p10) (p13) Mark Nadler (p9) (p5)
