Australian Première
Reviewed Wednesday 18th June 2014, 7pm, Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. In a white dinner jacket and striped waistcoat, toting a violin case Mark Nadler sets the mood for his new show Runnin' Wild - Songs and Scandals of the Roaring 20's with his own arrangement of Cole Porter's Lets Misbehave, and Lets Do It and Harrington Gibbs, Joel Grey and Leo Wood's Runnin' Wild as he transports his audience to the sex, drug and alcohol fuelled era of prohibition. The medley, with a pared back self accompaniment on the piano, highlights the cheeky wide eyed enthusiasm synonymous with Nadler's performance style that draws the audience in so effectively. Nadler is joined by Sophia MacRae on clarinet, appropriately dressed in flapper dress and feathers and Rob Chenoweth on Trumpet. As with Nadler's other structured shows, as opposed to his unscripted Broadway Hootenannies, the audience is taken on a well-researched journey into the era of excess, scandal and underground nightclubs with seemingly effortless ease. Nadler's passion for the era is evident in his ease of sharing the many amazing facts behind the scandals and the songs he uses to enhance the mood, with the casualness of a friend sharing an anecdote. All of the songs woven into the story come from the 13 year period of prohibition and draw on the work of Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, and Halsley K Mohr, amongst others. Nadler ensures that the fabulous lyrics of these pieces are not lost as can be the case with many other performers. His voice, body language and facial expressions enforce the descriptive, evocative and emotive songs and the monologues. His flexibility with a range of character voices and dramatizations from 15 year old girl to a distressed drag queen Jean Malin and an accused murder Libby Holman adds wonderful twists to the stories.http://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/adelaide-cabaret-festival/
Photo Credit: John Mazlish
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