Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Sunday 14th June 2015
The
Class of Cabaret 2015 brought together a large number of music and drama students from many South Australian high schools. The Class of Cabaret allows each student, under the mentorship of local and overseas industry professionals working or performing at the Cabaret Festival, to develop what they have learned at high school and to eventually take to the stage in front of a large audience to give an introduction and to perform one number. They have been working hard with director, Matthew Carey, and with some great mentors in
Michael Griffiths, Kim Spargo, Amelia Ryan, and Stacy McCandless.
This review covers both of the performances, each featuring half of the students. They were accompanied at the piano by Matt Carey, a master cabaret accompanist, which gave them all a rock solid foundation for their performances, a great advantage for them.
The high schools represented this year are Adelaide High School, Australian Science Mathematics School, Blackwood High School, Brighton High School,
Charles Campbell College, Christies Beach High School, Gleeson College, Henley High School, Kadina Memorial School, Mt Gambier High School, Norwood Morialta High School, Pembroke School, Scotch College, St Peter's Collegiate Girls School, Westminster School, Wilderness School, Wirreanda High School, and Woodville High School.
This project was the initiative of
David Campbell, when he was the Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret , and it has proved to be of inestimable value to the young participants, as well as extremely popular with audiences. As usual, both of the performances were packed with people wanting to see the amazing display of young talent. Who knows when one or more of them could be the headline acts at this festival? Any of them could be stars of the future.
This year, the performers were Alex DePorteous, Jasmin Hendrie, Veronica Idarola, Sonja Hilpert, Arianne Fabris, Tegan West, Mikayla Jade, Kayla Ikeeboh, Kiara Mercer, Olivia Hosking, Elishia Franklin, Zac Moore, and Madz Winter, in the first performance, and Naomi Crosby, Olivia Cromarty, Maddy Murdoch, Danielle Coremans, Serena Martino Williams, Georgia Huxtable, Tayla Coad, Lydia Falco, Zoe Miller, Matilda Westhead, Claire Morphett, and Jerome Javier, in the second performance.
The standard of performances this year was as high as we have come to expect from these marvellous young artists, with a few that stood out already at this early stage of learning. Alex DePorteous opened the first of the two performances, introducing a rendition of
Creep that showed her voice to great advantage. She was followed by Jasmin Hendrie who referred to a few people she has known, one in particular, and explained
What it Means to Be a Friend, investing the song with meaning. Veronica Idarola suffered bullying, but changed schools and started again with support from her family, so
Lift Me Up fitted the bill, and her fine clear voice. Sonja Hilpert changed the pace dramatically, explaining that she had not rushed to get a driving license as her friends had done. She injected plenty of humour into her delivery, and then stirred things up with a rousing rendition of
Mustang Sally that had toes tapping throughout the audience, one of the highlights of the first set. Arianne Fabris tells how she enrolled in drama at school, and got the part of the Little Mermaid but, when she sang
Part of Your World, she explained that she had not wanted to be a Disney Princess as a child; she wanted to be a Jedi. Again, a comedy number, an unexpected twisting of a well known song, drew loads of laughs, especially as the rendition still retained the original feel, juxtaposing the opposing desires hilariously. I envisaged a double act with a magician, with a quick change routine into a series of Star Wars costumes, then both of them levitating for a light-sabre fight in midair.. There is a whole show waiting there. Tegan West had music around the house all the time when she was younger, until her parents separated, but she kept on singing and for us, she gave a gentle version of
Glorious. Mikayla Jade explained that she knew her friends would always stand by her, and launched into
Breaking the Law, another song filled with meaning by one these young performers, working beyond their years.
Kiara Mercer lost her grandfather and remembers him and his quirky ways fondly in a nicely swinging rendition of
They Can't Take That Away From Me, showing a good feel for jazz that is a very useful attribute for any cabaret artist. Kayla Ikeeboh spoke of joining an existing group and trying to be accepted by changing yourself to fit in, presenting a very moving performance of
Strange Birds, her rich full voice suggesting another candidate for some jazz numbers but, more so, the blues. She could well be advised to tackle some of the songs of Anita O'Day,
Billie Holiday,
Ella Fitzgerald,
Sarah Vaughan, and other greats from the past.
Olivia Hosking explained that she is dyslexic, and presents a very funny version of the old classic
LOVE, generating laughter galore as she tries to get the letters, held by four of her friends, in the correct order. Again, she demonstrated a great jazz feel like a few of the others. Yes, she was another stand-out artist. The gentle humour continued with Elishia Franklin drawing on the musical Cabaret to sing
If You Could See Him (Her) Through My Eyes, by Kander and Ebb, that was controversial due to
Joel Gray's change of lyric. She gave it a top performance. Zac Moore was the only male in the group, a worrying trend that only young women seem to be attracted to cabaret, but a distinct advantage for him with so little competition for work. His light baritone voice was suited so well to his crooning through,
And So It Goes. As his lower register develops he is going to another one to watch. Madz Winter fell for a bassist, and sang about him in
Super Duper Lover, but found that he was studying interior design. It was time to go back to the song, which she gave a marvellous rendition. Wait, he went dress shopping with her. Dismiss that thought and back to the song again. The combination of the comic tale and the driving rhythm made her another of the highlights.
The second performance began with the artists entering down either side of the venue singing an a capella round, as they made their way to the stage, while Matt Carey introduced the event. Naomi Crosby spoke of facing decisions, and then she gave a warm rendition of
Climb Ev'ry Mountain. She was followed by Olivia Cromarty, who describes herself, in a rich voice, as
Crazy. Maddy Murdoch told of an unforgettable trip to Italy, and explained in an emotionally connected song, that she was
Born to Try. Danielle Coremans was next up, giving a strongly committed version of
Close Your Eyes, explaining that by doing so she could find her true self. Serena Martino Williams told that she had missed a lot of time from school and was scared about returning, leading into a passionate performance of
Home. Georgia Huxtable spoke of school rumours, a form of bullying, and then sang that she was
Safe and Sound, giving a wonderful performance.
Tayla Coad told of the girl who took her man from her, bringing in the first comic song of the night,
In Short, delivering it with great timing and almost stopping the show. Lydia Falco had the hard job of following that, and did it superbly with a complete change, remembering her grandmother in a poignant rendition of
Since You Stayed Here. Zoe Miller speaks of her sister, who has inspired her, making the most of the dynamics offered in her song,
Breakaway. Matilda Westhead admits to once having been a Nerd and, having made changes and moved on she looks back in song with
Reflection, giving it a suitably reflective reading. The penultimate performance came from Claire Morphett, who wanted to avoid a negative friend, expressing her feelings in
Don't Wanna, showing the range of her voice and ability to embrace rhythmic nuances. Jerome Javier closed off the show by teaching the Fillipino work for lucky, and pointing out that most people there are not, launching into
Man in the Mirror, and dedicating it to his mother. He owned the stage, strutting, engaging the audience, had them clapping along in time, encouraging the other artists who added a solo harmony line and a full choir behind him, and brought in the massive applause for his performance. It was no surprise to learn later that he is a cousin of Jego Loreto, who appeared earlier in the day in Under the Influence with four other past graduates. Talent, it seem, runs in the family. It seems that he was not entered by a high school, but applied under his own steam, showing both dedication and initiative. Watch that name.
As in past years there so many sensational performances and, if I have referred to one or two as a stand-out or a highlight, that is against a whole collection of marvellous performances by the rest of the participants. Choice of song, confidence on the night in front of a very large audience, these and other factors all play a part and some will have just the right material for that particular audience and catch the eye. Any of these young people could be big names with a little more practice, experience, and guidance. They were all well worth watching and greatly entertaining and I encourage them all to keep at it.
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