Last year I went to several shows in the Cabaret Fringe; now I get the chance to be in it.
Kabarett is a new format which three artists can each present a 20 minute segment, together making up a one-hour show. I want to be in Kabarett. It's the next step, a way to bridge the gap between the 10-minute piece I performed at Cabaret Summer School, and a full, one-hour show.
They are having two shows, on two consecutive Sunday afternoons. I'm in the second one. The show is in the Cabaret Fringe Festival program, so it's open to the public.
Chris Martin is going to accompany me. I arrange to visit his home studio and we run through my piece. I feel very confident with Chris, as he has often accompanied me at Cabaret Live! and he already knows all three of my songs.
I begin to promote the show - it's up to the artists to fill the room. I know how hard it's going to be to motivate people to log on and buy tickets. I go onto the web site and purchase tickets, which I press into the hands of my friends, who either produce cash or promise to pay me on the day.
I attend the first Kabarett, which features two other artists whom I know. In particular I marvel at Deb (the opera singer). She is very funny, and I envy the dependability of her voice. I don't want to sing opera, but I would like to have Deb's control; she knows exactly what sound is going to come out of her mouth.
During the week, a review of Kabarett #1 appears on the Internet. It had not occurred to me that a critic might attend and review my show. The review strikes me as fair and balanced, but I feel freaked by the idea of a critical evaluation.
I know my piece quite well. I feel as confident as could be expected. La Boheme fills up. I'm sitting at the side of the room, waving to people as I catch their eye. I don't want to get drawn into conversation; I want to save my voice for the singing. I'm wearing a long sparkly dress covered by a coat.
The first performer is Emily - tax accountant and wedding singer. She's studied Classical and Jazz voice at Adelaide University Conservatorium over the last couple of years. We've met at Cabaret Live! and at professional networking events. Emily sings a selection of French songs; her performance is strong and confident.
Next is Craig - an actor trained at Flinders University. He enters via the front door, stammering and reluctant, to the extent that some people in the audience start to openly worry about him. He ends up performing a very funny piece in which he sings a duet with himself, hopping between two microphone stands.
My segment is "Confessions of a Wannabe Bond Girl" - same as the piece I performed for Cabaret Summer School, but the patter is more developed and some of the songs are extended . I've got a lot of friends in the audience, and they whoop and holler as I step up on stage. The piece goes well, and I manage to remember all my lyrics, including the previously problematic "Windmills of Your Mind". I'm aware that a few of my higher notes lack power, but I've done my best.
Every time you perform, you'll be better next time.
It occurs to me that by the end of my 20-minute piece, I could have kept on going. I allow myself to think about the idea of a full-length show. No longer does it seem an impossibility; it's starting to feel like a realistic goal.
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