Mixing deep sea habitats, outlandish cabaret starlets from the gangster circuit, thrillers set on turkey farms and forbidden fruitshops – if the Comedy & Cabaret line-up at the Belvoir were a recipe, you would think it a rather odd one. But then, who would’ve ever thought to mix sour cream, marshmallows and mandarins, a la Ambrosia Salad? Or bacon and maple syrup, a la Pancake Parlours the world over? Sometimes the strangest things are the sweetest. And so we caught up with some of the masterchefs behind the creations: Claudia O’Doherty, one third of award-winning theatre group Pig Island who dives beneath the ocean’s surface for Monster of the Deep 3D, and Nick Christos, a long-time fan of The Fabulous Frances Faye in Australia …
CLAUDIA O’DOHERTY, MONSTER OF THE DEEP 3D
Aquaplex was a long-term deep sea habitat built by many of the world’s governments in the 1970s and its creatures were humans and dolphins, everything is real, no made-up creatures. It’s a cultural presentation, because the story of the show is that I am the last surviving member, so I have taken it upon myself to tell the world about our culture. It looks like a girl in an ugly blue dress with placards and a model of Aquaplex, and there’s a big visual surprise at the end! At the beginning [of writing the show solo] it was terrifying, you have no idea if anyone will like what you’re doing, if you’re thinking of ridiculous ideas, but it’s been exciting having people it! A large part of me thought no-one would come. Comedy is very important to me, it’s all that I do – I’ve even written a book that is essentially a book of jokes about pandas – everything’s driven by comedy!
NICK CHRISTO, THE FABULOUS FRANCES FAYE IN AUSTRALIA
Frances Faye was probably best known for her live recordings, like Caught in the Act in the 50s. She was a pianist and vocalist in clubs in Vegas and NY, but came out to Australia in 60s. She had a chequered career but primarily worked as a vocalist and comedian. She played to gangsters, and as she progressed she became quite flamboyant, known for her double entendre, dipping people though the lyrics of her song, all done with a wink of her eye. She was definitely a little bit ahead of her time! Our interpretation takes the form of a live jazz show, we have a three-piece band, we let the music and her comedy speak for itself. Because it takes the form of a cabaret, you have more licence to drop in and out of character. It’s a really intimate way of performing – rather than that distance of sitting back, with cabaret you’re part of the action, you’re living the songs and the material just as much if not more, the performers are speaking directly to you rather than to other actors on stage. You will feel involved and included part of the action and the storytelling.
Jan 4-14, Downstairs Belvoir Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills, $24-32 (or $84 for the three-show-package, including Flacco & Marty Murphy’s Double Exposure), 9699 3444 or belvoir.com.au
