Love Songs for Sir Les

Barry Humphries. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. 20 Jun 2015

In Adelaide during the Cabaret Festival, Barry Humphries can do no wrong no matter how hard he tries. 

Hence, audiences laughed and whooped approbation of Sir Les Patterson's most offensive attacks on political correctness. He pushed the proverbial envelope as far as his expelled saliva could go - which, according to the number of people who donned the supplied raincoats, was about four rows deep in the stalls.

Love Songs for Sir Les was the Humphries book-end closer of the 2015 CabFest. It had begun with Dame Edna featured in the sell-out Gala opening show.

Expectations that the love songs would be serenaded to the grotesque parody of a sozzled Ocker polly were not met. Fortunately. The torch singers took turns to own the stage, accompanied by the wonderful Adelaide Arts Orchestra. Sir Les appeared betwixt and between, doing star entrances surrounded by his dancing girls, each time attired in a different soup-stained outfit. Each appearance afforded a song and some new old shtick - priapic promotions of his "purple-headed warrior", jokes about how fat the wife, Gwen, had grown, exercises in P and F words for super spittability. 

On the F word front, this was Humphries' chance to spit in the face of those early earnest declarations as CabFest artistic director that there would be no F words in his festival. On that last night, he effed his way  across the stage in a contentment of expostulation, racking up enough F words to bring home the irony to even the most obtuse  audience member.

She was sitting in the front row, by the way. Humphries described a woman with a face so hard you could strike a match on it. Amazing how he seems to see her in the front row of all his shows. 

It was hard to tell who was the MC of the show. Ali McGregor opened the evening and came and went throughout, singing some nice but not riveting songs. Sir Les did some of the introductions and acknowledgements. But there was something missing and, in retrospect, it was Eddy Perfect. The big festival closing show needed a man in the lineup.

That is not, on that flower-bedecked stage, to cast nasturtiums at Trevor Ryan who shone above the women with the brilliant Shirley Bassey of his I'm Every Woman show. He is a national treasure.

From America, Lady Rizo gave a big-voiced Broadway touch of pizazz to the lineup, contrasted by the utter sweetness, beauty and impeccable harmony of the divine SongBirds.

Amelia Ryan looked beyond sensational in a silver lurex sheath but performed a song which was so convoluted that the audience simply lost focus. Where were you, Andy Packer? In both content and movement, she seemed in dire need of a director. But, oh, she did dress the stage well. As did the lovely dancing girls (Adelaide’s The Silhouettes) who, in one Sir Les routine, performed while eating Balfours pies and green frog cakes. Was this history being made? I have never seen dancers eating while hoofing. 

Sir Les would not have been Sir Les without featuring his aphorism-ridden Too Many Poofters in the Arts song which has become a classic, nay an anthem, of political incorrectness. But, to give credit to the vile configuration of physical and intellectual repugnance which is Sir Les, he not only gets away with it, but has gays laughing in unison with homophobes. No mean feat.

Now the shows are over. Sir Les has effed off with Dame Edna and their suave alter ego.

And, the city settles down to wait on what wonders Perfect and McGregor will bring to fire up another Adelaide winter.

Samela Harris

When: Closed

Where: Festival Theatre

Bookings: Closed

Eddie Perfect

Songs From The Middle. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 20 Jun 2015

Songs from the middle class, I think, although the kitchen in which Eddy pensively poses in the program pic is a bit posh compared to the middle class kitchen I grew up with. But we at least could afford to have food in the fridge and usually kept the door closed.

Eddy Perfect takes some time to explain that the reason for this show is that since he had a baby, the issue of where is home has arisen. He roared up the Nepean Highway a long time ago to the big smoke, so it was an interesting question. Eddy asked us, "Does anyone know where Mentone is?" but all regular patrons of the Art Gallery of South Australia would be familiar with Charles Conder's 1888 painting, A holiday at Mentone. And this song cycle show is his love letter home.

I've got to tell you, Songs From The Middle is the hit of my Cabaret Festival. Eddy looked sharp in his silver suit and hair fashionably sculpted by strong coastal winds or by running into a door. And he still hasn't lost those kilos he stacked on to play Shane Warne in his (he also wrote the book and lyrics) award-winning eponymous musical in 2008. Look, not important, OK?

Here's what's important. He's very cute. No, OK, OK. The music written by Eddie Perfect and celestially orchestrated by Iain Grandage are in such delicious foil with Eddy's ironic suburban-issued lyrics that I was absolutely delighted by every song, if I wasn't also laughing out loud, reminiscing about my own growing up, moved by stories of Mentone's memorial characters, or simply swept away by the aural beauty of it all. Grandage led musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music playing horns and strings, and a percussionist who had more arms than a Hindu god as she banged away on a seven metre long set-up of instruments.

Many of his songs start with banality and end with profundity. What seemed like a witty ditty about his sister working at Bunnings was really about how the local hardware store man was hung out to dry. Sinister examples of Susan, Mark, Galileo and Jesus liking it better the way it was are reflections on both memory and ambition. Tagging graffiti along the Frankston line is a cry for identity and meaning. The Ikea song was my favourite where the anticipation of relationship failure signaled by yet another hopeful nesting visit to the flat box shop with the new live-in is too much to bear. Or how about the aliens who land in Mentone and ask a kid, "What do we do?" The kid's list of small town activities is so attractive, the aliens hightail it.

And it's all delivered with a natural ease, sincerity, a winning smile, style and clarity. How could you not love the guy? And the music was magnificent! Bravo!

David Grybowski

When: 18 and 20 June

Where: Dunstan Playhouse

Bookings: Closed

Ray Jessel

Naughty or Nice. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Space Theatre. 20 Jun 2015

Naughty or Nice is also one of Ray's songs. In it, he says you can say Richard, but you can't say Dick. You can say grab, but you can't say snatch. It's very funny, and I was reminded of another list - Tom Lehrer song of the periodic table. But have you seen his audition on America's Got Talent 2014 when he does his girlfriend's-got-a-penis song? He said he had to shorten his penis song to fit into the American time slot, but he showed us the entire length at the show today. He's got another very funny song about how his mind is always on sex. Gosh, is there a theme here? Have you seen his wife?

Ray is a ripe old 85 and says he didn't start performing until he was 72. But he has a huge catalogue of songs as a Broadway composer-lyricist, some of which have been sung by Louis Armstrong, Michael Feinstein and even David Campbell. They're not all naughty. Several numbers this afternoon were sweet sentimentals of lost loves. He also has an uncanny resemblance to Einstein (he boofs up his hair just in case you didn't see it), so he wrote a self-aggrandising song sung by the scientist complete with German accent. I was pretty sure when spruiking Einstein's genius, he hoped you would be reading that into himself as well. The opening song about memory loss got everybody laughing right away with his feigned half-remembered lyrics. His voice is shot, if it ever was good, I don't know, but he's totally lovable, and his songs are a hoot or hit the heart. Highly recommended, but it's all over, sorry.

David Grybowski

When: 20 Jun

Where: Space Theatre

Bookings: Closed

Shout Sister Shout

The SongBirds. Banquet Room. 19 Jun 2015

Based in Los Angeles, The SongBirds are Australian Dannielle DeAndrea, Mexican-American Erica Canales and Guatemalan Gaby Moreno.  Showcasing their multicultural origins, the trio perform a repertoire of early American blues, South America calypso and Aussie classics.  

DeAndrea, Canales and Moreno start with a focus on the swing, jazz and blues of the American 1920s and 1930s, with tunes from Glenn Miller, Doris Day and an amazing version of Rum and Coca-Cola, popularised in the 1940s by the Andrew Sisters.  

In homage to their location and DeAndrea's roots, the second half is dedicated to many of Australia's iconic artists, including Cold Chisel, Olivia Newton John and Hunters and Collectors.  The mix of faithful and re-interpreted songs evokes an unexpectedly emotional response, particularly for stirring versions of Throw You Arms Around Me and Peter Allen's Tenterfield Saddler.

Each member of The SongBirds is successful and celebrated in her own right, and together they are sheer brilliance.  Reminiscent of a modern day Boswell Sisters, their voices and personalities are as different as they are similar, but they complement each other wonderfully.

DeAndrea is an experienced performer with a strong and versatile vocal that she uses to great effect.  Canales' natural talent and classical training combine to produce a truly impressive quality; she shines all night.  With a more raw and unique style, Emmy nominee Moreno steals the show during her solo and lead numbers.   Her voice is child-like and soothing, conjuring comparisons to other female artists with such strong vocal identities, such as Bjork and Julia Stone.  You long to hear more.

The SongBirds save the best for last, closing the show with a blow-away encore.  They step away from their mics towards the audience and silent anticipation falls.  The suspense is well rewarded with a heart-felt acoustic performance of the gospel hymn Down in the River to Pray.  Led beautifully by Canales, she is joined by DeAndrea and Moreno in chorus and with this they leave a lasting impression that warms the heart and mind long after the show ends.

Nicole Russo

When: 19 to 20 Jun

Where: Banquet Room

Bookings: bass.net.au