The Spiegel’esque show put out an invitation that was impossible to refuse…Leave your real life at the door and come and enjoy the show. It’s an invitation, a promise, that this show delivers on.
Ushers, suitably attired, escorted to our seats in the Spiegel Zelt – a magnificent 97 year old Spiegeltent – which now calls Australia home after its recent purchase by the Vass Group. It is a warm, intimate venue featuring velvet canopies, cut-glass mirrors and romantic booths, and seats just 120 people.
Our excellent host for the night was Wayne Scott Kermond, wearing a black waist jacket and a far too glitzy tie, who describes himself as being ‘born in a trunk’, a 4th generation performer.
Kermonds’ opening ‘set’ started the show well- brash, a bit coarse, and featured clever and replaxed repartee with the audience including one guy in the front row who kept on using his mobile phone.
Kermonds’ banter and sometimes droll jokes kept coming at us through the show – ‘What do you call hallway sex? You walk past a pretty woman in the hallway and say screw you.’
For the show proper, this show business veteran was joined on stage by a great troupe of young performers who lit up the stage with their performances. They were more than ably accompanied by a bowler hat wearing, very in the groove piano player.
Variety was the hard to achieve and very impressive hallmark, calling card of this show an integral and very appealing part of the show – tap dancing, Can-Can, pole dancing, different music styles from the disco of ‘Shake Your Bootie’ to Bruce Springsteen tunes to old showbiz classics like Mr Bojangles, aerial hijinks and more..
One kind of didn’t want this smorgasbord of entertainment to end but alas it did. It was opening night and Wayne came back on stage to say a brief and emotional address (thank you).
He pointed to his parents in the audience, no doubt his biggest fans. He made us swear not to divulge some very clever surprises which took place during the show. Perfectly understandable. They were great. He also spoke about feeling privileged having the first cabaret show to be staged under the Spiegel Zelt, and that his hope was that a lot of other performance artists would make the most of this great new venue in the future.
My recommendation. Life is a cabaret my friend, leave your troubles behind. There’s plenty of time to worry about them later. Come to the cabaret. Spiegel’esque is playing till the 15th January 2017.
The show is a zinger, the Spiegel Zelt is awesome, and it all takes place in the lovelyt Piazza in the Italian Forum in Norton Street Leichhardt.