Gorgeous! The Famous Spiegeltent
Story by Sunday Francis-Reiss
The Famous Spiegeltent is coming to Sydney, to host a cavalcade of contemporary performances on the Opera House Forecourt. A fittingly jubilant program of music, comedy, cabaret and kids stuff has been specially selected to play the Spiegeltent from October 17 through November 15, with all tickets going for under $50.
Spiegeltent is Dutch for ‘tent of mirrors,’ and these travelling pavilions were first constructed in the Northern, Flemish region of Belgium in the late 19th Century. Originally used as mobile dancehalls, they moved about Belgium and were assembled for fairs and carnivals in towns that had no permanent dancehall. A handful remain, each with her own character and history.
The Famous Spiegeltent was built in 1920 by Belgian artisans Oscar Mols Dom and Louis Goor. Over the decades the Famous Spiegeltent has hosted some of the world’s greatest performing artists, perhaps most famously Marlene Dietrich, who sang ‘Falling in Love Again’ in it during the 1930’s. Not to mention the countless dancers, lovers, drunkards and scoundrels who have left their marks across her wooden floorboards.
The Famous Spiegeltent consists of about 3,000 pieces of wood, mirrors, canvas and stained glass, and is lavishly detailed in velvet and brocade. The pieces are transported from venue to venue in shipping containers, and constructed on site at each location. Two Belgian specialists supervise the construction on site, which takes around ten to twelve hours. An adjacent bar is also constructed, which in addition to the lighting and sound equipment takes another few days. The Famous Spiegeltent holds an audience of about 300’350 people.
While the Sydney Opera House’s regular venue for contemporary performance, The Studio, closes for two months to undergo renovations, acts will be camping out in the front yard in spectacular style. Gorgeous will feature local and international artists across a variety of genres ‘ with many giving one-off performances ‘ in this magical venue.
MUSIC
Australian music is at the core of the program, with perennial favourites like Tex Perkins, Jimmy Barnes and Dave Graney giving shows, as well as The Audreys, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Lior, Kate Miller-Heidke, Dan Sultan and Holly Throsby.
The captivating Australian singer-songwriter Old Man River will also perform, in what will be the culmination of 3 years touring his record Good Morning around the globe. Mixing beautiful folk-pop melodies with eastern instrumentation, Old Man River’s music is a gentle meandering through philosophies and sounds, which draws on his time spent living in India and New York City. Performing with Australian artists including Megan Washington, The Kahn Brothers and other guests, Old Man River and friends will present Good Morning in it’s entirety, along with a special finale.
Another musical highlight will be one of France’s favourite contemporary musicians Tété, who creates his own soulful blend of the blues, folk and pop that were the soundtrack to his early life. Influenced by the Delta Blues, Lenny Kravitz, The Beatles and Bob Dylan, Tete has gone from playing his guitar in bars and busking on the streets of Paris, to selling more than half a million records. The self-taught, alternative musician has been described as France’s answer to Jeff Buckley.
Performing her first ever Sydney show is New York singer Gretchen Parlato, who fuses Brazilian and African elements with jazz. Her understated, improvised approach and stand-alone voice ‘ likened by critics to Sinatra’s style ‘ have seen her championed by no less than jazz legend Herbie Hancock.
Some interesting collaborations will also be in store. Dick Hughes is an boogie-woogie pianist, Christa Hughes is the former lead singer of shock-rockers Machine Gun Fellatio. The father and daughter duo have more than just blood in common, and will perform side by side in a jazz-blues recital. The pair recreate the Hughes family lounge room, in which Dick would teach his teenage daughter the standards he loved.
CABARET
NAKED…. An Acoustic Look at the Life of a Big Hairy Dyke is the promising title of Lea Delaria’s show. The US dykon is a jazz musician/stand up comic/ all-round entertainer and political provocateur. Naked ‘ will feature her trademark confrontational humour and enormous stage presence. Performing with a trio of jazz musicians, Delaria will also treat the audience to songs from her soon-to-be-released album, The Live Smoke Sessions.
Camp as a Row of Spiegeltents might just be the spectacle to end all spectacles. Gathering together the best girls from Oxford Street and the Inner West, the Speigeltent’s mirrors will glitter with hair, heels, and hilarity as Sydney (and maybe the world’s) best drag performers get together.
Starring current and past Drag Industry Variety Award winners, produced by the award-winning Amelia Airhead and hosted by current DIVA Entertainer of the Year Mitzi Macintosh, the cast will also feature Minnie Cooper, Joyce Maynge and a gaggle of drag superstars.
COMEDY
The comedy program also promises fantastic local talent. For example Sam Simmons, whose hobbies include ‘playing connect four in the nude and eating chicken in a biscuits really really fast.’ Sam is host of the Weekend Breakfast Show on Triple J, and a presenter on JTV. His unique style is pushing the boundaries of Australian comedy, eschewing observational humour in favour of outright silliness. The Sam Simmons Experience will be an absurd, daring and fresh take on stand-up.
Also in comedy will be one of the pioneers of Australian stand-up, Rod Quantock. After 40 years experience working in cabaret, theatre, television and radio, Quantock has no doubt figured out how to tell a good joke. Cheeky, inventive, and always at the forefront of his craft, Rod Quantock performs First Man Standing.
KIDS STUFF
Children’s entertainment will form an integral part of the Gorgeous program, with local and overseas entertainers catering to the young and young at heart.
Casio Brothers are Sweden’s ‘Superheroes of Kid-Hop,’ and return to Sydney after four sold out shows in August.
Fabio Casio is a collector of electronic kid’s toys, a fitness freak and a rap fiend. Mario Casio loves pasta and spinning the turntables. Adding an extra dimension to their always high-energy gigs will be Demilition B-Girl, a.k.a. Demi Sorono from So You Think Can Dance Australia Top 4. Demi also won the Australasian B-Girl Supremacy Competition in New Zealand in 2005. Together the trio will be busting awesome moves and telling hilarious tales in rhyme. Sure to please the kiddies (aged 4 and over) for whom Hi-5 just doesn’t cut it!
Loose Cannon are a visionary performance group who draw inspiration from vaudeville, music hall and cabaret, reinterpreting these styles for young audiences. Over the past 10 years they have toured extensively, taking their storytelling performances from the Sultan of Brunei’s palace to classrooms in rural Thailand. How to Read Tea Leaves and Other Tales of Outrageous Fortune has been put together especially for The Famous Spiegeltent season. Hosted by the alluring and mysterious Ms Fortune, the show features four stories of folk who come to no good end (recommended for ages 6+).
The full Gorgeous program can be viewed online at www.sydneyoperahouse.com. 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.
The Famous Spiegeltent – Gorgeous!
The Sydney Opera House
October 17 ‘ November 15
All tickets under $50 ‘ available from www.sydneyoperahouse.com, or 9250 7777
