Theatre Review: Cocktail Cabaret

Cocktail Cabaret

Silhouette 9 Productions

Created by Kate Garrett

Kings Cross Hotel

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP, MAICD

It's gratifying to see people having a crack. Kate Garrett, three of her dancer friends and a guy are performing Cocktail Cabaret at the Kings Cross Hotel as part of the Sydney Fringe. 

It's essentially a cocktail-themed tribute to choreographer/director Bob Fosse whose productions included Sweet Charity, The Pajama Game, Pippin, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Billion Dollar Baby, Cabaret and Chicago. 

The show opened with a pole dance and I was a bit concerned with the pole not being secured at the top. This gravity-defying spot was impressive.

Particularly enjoyable were the references to the 1960s, and some of the music sounded like it was incidental music from Austin Powers. They managed to capture the mood the period and one of the performers has a strong sense of comedy.

The feathered fans took me back to Les Girls.

Cocktail Cabaret would be immeasurably better if it had an MC who is a comedian, or an actor who can interact with an audience, or at least someone who has actually performed before and doesn't need to read his dialogue off hand-held cue cards.

Please go to Sydney Fringe shows and support emerging, aspiring and experienced performers. It’s your opportunity to experience the unusual and different.

Theatre reviews Sydney