Bethan Ellsmore, performer, I Can Keep a Secret
Expect fun, flirty and fabulous revelations about your new favourite cabaret collective!
When Babushka’s I Can Keep a Secret bursts on to the Judith Wright Centre stage next month, there’s little doubt the cabaret confessional will leave jaws ajar and eyes wide. The local quartet of femme fatales – Alicia Cush, Arlie McCormick, Judy Hainsworth and Bethan Ellsmore – weave their spectacular voices into four-part harmonies, duets and solos, all while revealing some of their deepest, darkest secrets. One stunner sure to catch the eye is Little Black Dress Creatives producer Bethan, whose fuscia locks and dynamic stage presence has seen her performing opera, chamber music, jazz and pop in venues across the country. After stepping off the stage for the 21st anniversary season of Women in Voice last weekend, the Queensland Conservatorium graduate is about to launch into the November season of new production, I Can Keep a Secret. The Weekend Edition caught Bethan in a rare quiet moment between performances this week to talk cabaret and confessions.
I Can Keep a Secret is set to open at the Judith Wright Centre on Wednesday November 12, what can locals expect from the production?
Fun, flirty and fabulous revelations about your new favourite cabaret collective, Babushka!
We’ve heard it involves Tchaikovsky mingling with Kate Bush, and Kylie cosying up to Carmen … What other brilliant musical mash-ups will our ears be treated to?
Would you like to hear Billy Idol crash tackle Wagner?
The production centres on revelations – do you any secrets or regrets you need to get off your chest?
I have an unhealthy relationship with cheese. There, I said it …
I Can Keep a Secret fuses a broad range of musical genres from opera to pop; what’s your personal favourite tune in the line-up?
This changes often, but my personal favourite at the moment is Judy Hainsworth’s take on an Eartha Kitt classic, ‘I Wanna Be Evil’. It reveals a lot about that naughty little pocket rocket!
Who or what would you most love to see in the audience one night?
Bette Midler and Ru Paul with a magnum of champagne!
Babushka was born in 2011 when you joined forces with three other Brisbane babes – any fond, funny or downright ridiculous memories to share from the past few years?
A personal memory is from the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2012. I was a little hungover and staring down the barrel of two shows after a promotional appearance in Rundle Mall. I traipsed around in full stage make-up, carrying my electric piano, looking for a certain Portuguese chicken burger that I was sure would cure me … It did. Best show of my life that night.
Your production company, Little Black Dress Creatives, was selected for the Judith Wright Centre’s (JWC) Fresh Ground Residency Program this year. How has this opportunity inspired your artistic practice?
We feel so privileged to have been noticed by the wonderful Lewis Jones, and subsequently looked after by the JWC. This residency has given us space to breathe and develop a show with incredible support – we couldn’t be more excited to call JWC our second home! The new show has so much room to marinate … Mmmmm …
We read that you took up the violin at the age of three – did you grow up in a musical household?
I did actually. My dad is a pianist, organist and conductor. My mum is a beautiful operatic vocalist and completing her PhD at the moment, becoming one of Australia’s few Verdi experts. My older sister inspired me to play the violin and my younger sister is an incredibly talented flautist. Lucky me!
When did you discover that you’d scored that elusive talent for singing?
I always had a hunch I might be better at singing than playing the violin, mainly because I couldn’t stop myself from singing – but I had to practise the violin under the threat of no Saturday morning cartoons or dessert …
When did cabaret get its clutches on you and what do you love about it?
A few years ago, my colleague Alicia Cush and I were performing in a corporate and commercial classical quartet, but we all wanted to break some rules and push the boundaries of our craft. That’s how I discovered cabaret … and then I was home. I love that cabaret has room for just about anything in it and can travel the spectrum of comedy, drama, music and theatre.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
I drink peppermint tea, I strike a warrior yoga pose and I also promise myself that I’ll have loads of fun! I may also insist on a glass of champagne …
What’s next for you?
Babushka is heading to North Queensland on tour this week, then we’re at the JWC Shopfront from November 12–15. On December 5 and 7, we hit Wonderland at the Brisbane Powerhouse with a completely new show, and I’ll also join a fabulous circus/opera fusion show, Operacus, in the same festival – I’ll be singing while flying through the air! After that, my band La Trav hits The Zoo in January to promote my EP Little Lady Blues!
How do you personally define ‘success’?
If I can live as a performer with integrity and artistic fulfilment – and pay the rent – I’m in heaven!
Only a Brisbane local would know that … Brisbane is full of surprises and cultural gifts for the curious.
FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Relax … on the balcony of my Queenslander.
Indulge … in the French Vietnamese luxury of Libertine at The Barracks, Petrie Terrace.
Shop … vintage shops in Toronto – the best I’ve ever been to!
Be inspired … at the cabaret! Brisbane punches way above its weight with fantastically talented and unusual performance defining this genre in Australia.