Christchurch Cabaret Festival

MEDIA RELEASE: For immediate release
CHRISTCHURCH CABARET FESTIVAL
18-22 June 2008

Comedy, song, dance, political satire and theatre all presented in sultry atmosphere!

The second Christchurch Cabaret Festival kicks off on June 18 offering 5 fabulous days and nights of entertainment at three different venues across the city. The only dedicated Cabaret Festival in New Zealand, it presents international and national acts in music, song, comedy and satire.

Paris-born superstar of the smoky stage and widely feted in Europe, Caroline Nin has been described as “a modern day version of Edith Piaf” and “the Marlene Dietrich of the 21st century”. Sequinned sex bomb Meow Meow from Australia wows international audiences with vamped-up kamikaze cabaret and cheeky, sexy dialogue. This is the first time either artist has appeared in New Zealand, and should not be missed.

From New Zealand Besser and Bravura, featuring the irrepressible Jackie Clarke of When the Cat’s Been Spayed, bring a totally original repertoire mixing classical, jazz and klezmer. Christchurch offers two of its own celebrated chanteuses. Naomi Ferguson sings a tribute to some of the best of the 20th century ranging from Joni Mitchell to Randy Newman, and Juliet Reynolds-Midgley performs a show in homage to the immortal Barbara Streisand. Melbourne musical comedy act Tripod, well known to New Zealand audiences from their appearances on the improv TV show SkitHOUSE, delight with their celebration of the world of the geeky male.

Actor Peter Feeny offers up an evening with manic self-help guru Beau Tyler, a role he made famous in a series of TV commercials for Tip Top Memphis Meltdown. Arthur Meek performs his controversially quirky one-man show On The Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as her Young Lover in which he plays Richard Meros, a mysterious essayist from Balclutha and product of the Rogernomics Era. Wellington will never be the same again.

New Zealand’s Lonesome Buckwheats are a bickering family who do both kinds of music: country and western, and in a Kiwi accent to boot. Country music’s notorious underdogs revive their greatest hits and face their demons live on stage.

Full programme available 1 May

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