But what does she mean, when I am obviously flying to Sydney in half an hour?
"Perhaps you're going with Qantas?" she offers, helpfully.
Perhaps? Aaaaargh! I must be going with Qantas!
In order to board a flight, you must be checked in half an hour beforehand. I run to the other end of the terminal and line up.
"I'm sorry Madam, that flight has closed", says the Qantas attendant. "You'll need to see the Service desk."
I hand over my credit card to pay for another flight, and half an hour later I'm boarding the plane, heading to Sydney for a two-day conference. I strike up a conversation with the blonde woman sitting alongside me. When I ask "What do you do?" she replies "I'm a cabaret artiste".
Whaaaa? This feels a bit surreal.
"So am I..." - I'm aware of how implausible this sounds.
The cabaret artiste is Dolly, and she is flying to Sydney for an audition. She's writing a film script, too. She also tells me about her Marilyn Monroe and Doris Day shows, and I listen with rapt attention.
As we begin our descent into Sydney Dolly mentions that she is collecting a car at the airport, and would I like a lift? I'm not in the habit of accepting lifts with people I've just met, and I'm also a bit concerned that I might be taken out of my way and be late for the conference. But Dolly assures me that she is not an axe-murderer. She shows me on a map where she is going, and points to the train station where she can deposit me. The train will be faster and cheaper than a taxi.
In the car there is plenty of time to chat, and there is so much to talk about. She drops me at the station, and I arrive at my conference just in time.
Dolly's wonderful show, based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, is in the Cabaret Fringe Festival, and I attend it as part of my Fringe Binge. Altogether, I attend (or perform in) about 20 shows. By the end of the month I'm exhausted and have drunk far too much. What a way to go.
After the Cabaret Fringe, I reflect on the diversity of events and the different styles of performance I have witnessed. For example I've seen performers:
- enter through through the audience
- seek hugs from audience members
- sing while standing on a chair
- speak into a megaphone
- pull clothes on and off
- impersonate animals
- speak to imaginary friends
- receive advice from a horse
- drag people onto the stage
- use puppets
- put on wigs
- sing in darkness
It strikes me that you can do almost anything in cabaret - there is so much scope to be creative.
And as Dolly speaks of "researching" and "writing" her cabaret, I realize that's something I can do, too.
And as Dolly speaks of "researching" and "writing" her cabaret, I realize that's something I can do, too.
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