Sashay this way – the Queensland Cabaret Festival returns with a star-studded schedule
Cabaret is one of those things that you can’t really pin down into any specific description. Most of us are familiar with the vague, abstract concept – smoky rooms, dimly lit tables, clicking fingers and simmering sensuality. Turns out there is so much more to the genre than we give it credit for – and there is a dedicated event set to show us what it’s all about. The Queensland Cabaret Festival is returning from June 1–15, sashaying into three key venues to bring us a load of sauce, sizzle and spark with a serious side of heart.
This year’s Queensland Cabaret Festival is absolutely bursting at the seams with internationally acclaimed talent – iconic Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly will be joined by Irish chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan for a one-off performance and Grammy award-winning jazz guitarist Bill Frisell will be appearing alongside vocalist Petra Haden, bass player Thomas Morgan, and drummer Rudy Royston at QPAC. Legendary all-rounder star Alan Cumming is bringing his live show to our shores, The Cat Empire’s energetic frontman Felix Riebl will be playing solo shows and the world-renowned Sierra Boggess makes her Australian debut. This isn’t even the half of it – the jam-packed program brings together a whole range of performers from different parts of the world, making for a truly well rounded talent pool.
The impressive selection of international and Australian performers ready to set stages alight across Brisbane will be doing so at three significant Brisbane cultural venues – Brisbane Powerhouse, QPAC and Queensland Multicultural Centre. Born in Paris, the city of love, the intimate and provocative art of cabaret has evolved into one of the most captivating live performance genres – an eclectic mix of music, dance, drama and comedy. Cabaret comes in many forms, but at its heart, it is a form of storytelling. It can be stunningly beautiful as well as thrilling and hilarious. It’s an ever-changing evolution of ideas and performances, which is what makes it so darn appealing.
If you feel like you could use a touch of magic and mystery in your life, you can browse the full Queensland Cabaret Festival program and nab tickets through the official website.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
