a festival of music, comedy, cabaret and kids stuff
Live: more than 60 shows by over 40 performers in 30 days
Performances: download the full program!
Info: 9250 7777
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Studio (Sydney Opera House), Bennelong Point Rd, Sydney
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Tickets: All shows less than $50
Time: 8pm
Two iconic venues will unite for a series of concerts giving Sydneysiders an experience never to be repeated. For close to a century The Famous Spiegeltent has seduced international audiences, but this spring it will be staged in its best ever location, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
A festival of music, comedy, cabaret and kids shows, Gorgeous! will feature over 40 artists in more than 60 performances from 17 October to 15 November. Two different shows will be staged daily Tuesday to Friday, three shows on a Saturday and four shows on Sunday. Kids shows will run on selected weekends.
Gorgeous! will be the one and only time The Famous Spiegeltent shares Bennelong Point with Sydney Opera House. The temporary venue will replace The Studio which must close for two months as part of the ongoing Accessibility and Western Foyers Project.
Homegrown music will dominate the program with Australian icons such as Vanessa Amarosi, Jimmy Barnes, Stephen Cummings, Dave Graney, Jeff Lang, Dave McCormack and Tex Perkins set to take to the Spiegeltent stage.
Alongside these local legends, some of Australia’s new wave of singer songwriters including The Audreys, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Lior, Kate Miller-Heidke, Old Man River, Dan Sultan and Holly Throsby will also perform.
Cabaret highlights include Irish chanteuse and Spiegeltent sensation, Camille O’Sullivan, notorious US dykon Lea Delaria, and a return season of The Burlesque Hour.
Two of France’s most original contemporary musicians Tété and Ronan/Ronan will give an alternate sound to Gorgeous!, as will local percussion trio Circle of Rhythm.
In a rare treat, acclaimed boogie-woogie pianist Dick Hughes will be joined by his daughter, the former lead singer of Machine Gun Fellatio, Christa for a jazz-blues recital. The pair will recreate the lounge room of her youth in which a teenage Christa would learn the standards from her legendary father.
Fusing Brazilian and African elements with jazz, New York singer Gretchen Parlato has an ethereal voice and understated, improvised approach. Lauded by jazz legend Herbie Hancock and hailed by critics as a female Frank Sinatra, this will be her first ever Sydney show.
Gorgeous! will also feature some of Australia’s brightest comedy acts including Rod Quantock, Sam Simmons and Tripod. Kids’ shows will be presented on selected weekends from The Casio Brothers, Loose Canon and Men of Steel .
Many of the shows in the Gorgeous! season are one-offs and capacities are strictly limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience this extraordinary venue in this amazing location, I hope you can join us.
The Famous Spiegeltent
Built in 1920 by master craftsmen Oscar Mols Dom and Louis Goor, The Famous Spiegeltent is the very essence of a festival club, cabaret salon, dance hall and intimate concert venue. Since Marlene Dietrich sang Falling In Love Again on its stage in the 1930s, the magic mirrors have reflected thousands of images of artists, audiences and exotic gatherings.
Spiegelmaestro David Bates said only a handful of the hand-hewn pavilions are left in the world today. “Like every old theatre, her ghosts travel with her, woven into ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained, cut-glass windows,” he said.
“The Famous Spiegeltent’s intimate booths, ornate bar and bevelled mirror columns hold a million secrets while her glorious Art Nouveau chandelier swings overhead.”
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