The Melbourne Cabaret Festival Returns in July

The Melbourne Cabaret Festival will make its highly anticipated return from Tuesday 4 to Sunday 9 July 2023. Festival Producer Neville Sice revealed that two of Australia's favourite acts, RnB songstress Prinnie Stevens and award-winning music comedy trio The Kransky Sisters will headline the festival.

Sice stated, "We were determined to mark our return with two of Australia's most-loved, high-calibre cabaret shows, and that's exactly what audiences will receive."

After a bruising three years due to Covid restrictions, the festival has found a new home in the iconic art deco MEMO Music Hall in St Kilda. The adjoining hidden gem upstairs in the St Kilda RSL, The Ruby Carter Lounge, will also host boutique and intimate performances. "We are so delighted to return to the City of Port Phillip, where we started the Festival 12 years ago," added Sice.

Prinnie Stevens will perform 'Lady Sings The Blues', a story about women in song, their hurts, struggles, and pain. The show features the songs of greats such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and iconic modern voices like Beyonce, Whitney and Sade. The audience will be transported to a speakeasy in New York and into the very heart of the star of the show Prinnie Stevens.

The Kransky Sisters will perform 'Assorted Nuts', a spicy mix of their hot hits. This eccentric trio of siblings from Esk will share their nutty stories and songs, including well-known tunes with a peculiar spin, played on an eclectic mix of instruments including musical saw, tuba and old reed keyboard. The show promises to be a delightful if not disturbing experience.

The full festival program will be revealed in early May, with Neville Sice predicting an eclectic line-up. "We received well over 100 show applications which is an incredibly positive and welcoming sign of optimism from cabaret performers excited to resume their performing careers and eager to enthusiastically support the return of the festival in its twelfth year."