BWW Reviews: ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2014: CLASS OF CABARET 2014 Amazes Audiences With the Amount of Young Talent in Adelaide

Reviewed Sunday 15th June, 2014

Each year, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival includes the Class of Cabaret, a chance for students from a number of secondary schools from around South Australia to engage in a Master Class and perform to a large audience in a real world setting. This year the performers came from Adelaide High School, Blackwood High School, Brighton Secondary School, Charles Campbell College, Craigmore High School, Emmaus Christian College, Henley High School, Immanuel College, Marryatville High School, Mt Gambier High School, Nurioopta High School, Pembroke School, Scotch College, Seaview High School, St Aloysius College, St Ignatius College, Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Valley View High School, Westminster School, and Woodville High School.

Before we get to see them on stage they have already spent a lot of time studying with, and being mentored by directors Matt Carey and Kim Spargo, and have attended a master class with the Festival's Artistic Director, Kate Ceberano. They would all have gained so much from this process.

There were so many students good enough to be involved this year that, once again, it was necessary to divide them and have two full performances, each with a different group. Once again the standard of the performances was very high, and the packed Space Theatre showed that it was not just friends and families that come along to see the rising stars. One never knows who might be the next big thing, and any one of these young people has the potential to go on to succeed in a performance career. These are the cream of this year's hopefuls and, no doubt, there are more who almost made it. Adelaide seems to be a breeding ground for great talent.

Every one deserves a mention, but time and space do not permit individual criticism, unfortunately. The lists of these great new talents are shown below and I suspect we'll be hearing more from a good number of them. There was an impressive diversity in the performances, and a few standouts, as well as a few personal favourites in the songs performed. This is a great family show, of course, and people of all ages were there to enjoy the performances, every one of which drew enormous applause.

A great help to these young people, too, was the wonderful piano accompaniment provided by Logan Watt, who supported each of them so well with his sensational technique and sensitivity.

I must give mention to one outstanding performance, though, and that was from Kyle Hall, who closed the second performance with Ladies' Choice, and brought the house down. His immense stage presence, confidence, dancing, spinning, and singing up a storm was enormously impressive. So much so that he will be appearing to perform a number with Mark Nadler in his Broadway Hootenanny on Friday evening.

Cast of the 6pm performance.

Mellie Tantalos, Adelaide High, That's Life
Mikayla Andrew, Valley View High, Pictures of You
Denise Gascon, Seaview High, At 17
Marina Deller-Evans, Blackwood High, Perfect
Ashlee Giles-Swinton, Immanuel College, Cactus that found the Beat
Rachel Rattus, Seaview High, Feel Again
Neil Sorianos, Woodville High, True Colours
Jordan Asbroek, Nurioopta, Valerie
Ruby Tarras, Immanuel College, Laura
Keshia Reyes, Valley View High, For You I Will
Caitlyn Hearne, Urrbrae Agricultural High, Testing the Water
Leah Harford, Brighton Secondary School, Gift of a Friend
Jack Parker, Charles Campbell Secondary, My Way
Roan Johnson, Brighton Secondary School, Change is Gonna Come
Kate Lewis, St Alyisious College, I Was Here
Ayril Borce, Woodville High, Brave

Cast of the 8:30pm performance.

Lauren McGargill, Westminster, Feelin' Alright
Sarah Thorpe, Scotch College, Home
Rachel Michael, Emmaus Secondary College, No Sure Thing
Corey Boys (piano and vocals), and Alannah Howden (vocals), Craigmore High, On Our Way
Lucy Lockwood, Mt Gambier High, Lighthouse
Abi Dibb, Pembroke, Here's Where I Stand
Lilly Wicks, Emmaus, Manhattan
Nic Munday, St Ignatius, Corner of the Sky
Ruby Nicholson, Mt Gambier High, God Bless the Child
Esther Fong, St Ignatius, I Look to You
Jess Gibbons, Henley High, Right to Be Wrong
Kyle Hall, Scotch College, Ladies' Choice

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