Dita Von Teese Embellishes The 2016 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

An adventurous and glamourous programme of comedy, burlesque and music from around Australia and the world will showcase at Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

The Adelaide Festival Centre will host the 16th annual festival in June, where audiences can expect to be inspired, challenged, educated and entertained through a wide range of artistic performances. Under this year's theme of 'What Comes Next', the festival will be brought to life with performers taking a few steps back in time in order to take large leaps into the future of the art form.

Variety Gala © Claudio Raschella

The festival opens with 'the ultimate night of cabaret', showcasing the curating work of the 2016 Artistic Directors and self-confessed cabaret lovers Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect. The talented paired up to produce an extravagant gala of international and local performers to celebrate their first year at the helm.

Direct from the shining burlesque lights of the US, the dubbed 'Queen of Burlesque' Dita Von Teese will perform her 90-minute glitz and glamour spectacle, 'Burlesque: Strip, Strip Hooray!'. The international star has sold out shows across the States and is performing only one show at this year's festival, alongside MC Murray Hill ('Club Swizzle') and her hard-working cast of world-renowned burlesque performers. This show calls for a Swarvovski-encrusted martini glass.

Starman © Denis Veldman

Audiences will also experience a music-meets-comedy extravaganza during the 16-day event featuring 'The Wharf Revue', the work of four comic geniuses from the Sydney Theatre Company. Not a single political figure or celebrity will be spared as the clan perform a series of satirical sketches and songs, mocking and mayhem.

The Birds © Jodie Hutchinson

Though the hilarious, musically-inclined performances won’t stop there, with shows continuing throughout the festival, including:
- 'The Composer Is Dead': Australian comedian Frank Woodley collaborates with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) for a murder mystery investigation unlike any other.
- 'This Gaming Life': Classical trio Tripod are obsessed with video games and even attribute their success to them, so why not write about and dedicate classical compositions to them? The three men will also be joined by ASO, and are performing for one-night only.
- 'Rudi's The Rinse Cycle': With a passion for classic cabaret, funny-man Hew Parham will fascinate and delight with his crazy combination of songs known for their vile or hilarious nature.

Tripod with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, source: supplied

Stages will also be lit up with a massive line-up of musical interpretations and revisits to the past, including:
- 'Hard Rain': An Australian premiere of the UK's Barb Jungr and her interpretations of historical songwriting legends Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, with the performance focusing on her views on the political issues the world faces.
- 'Don't Bother To Knock': Pure-voiced Helen Dallimore, an original cast member of 'Wicked' on West End, will perform show-stopping classic songs all while channeling blonde beauties Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and Dolly Parton for a tantalising tale.
- 'Dancing On The Volcano': collaborating once again with pianist Michael Morley and accordion player George Butrumlis, harmoniser Robyn Archer revisits renowned German cabaret songwriters and poets from the exciting era between the two world wars. 
- 'The Weill File': For a one-night special dedicated to cross-genre composer, social critic and political radical Kurt Weill and a range of artists from the Festival line-up will band together, exploring Weill’s work within the German Weimar-era to 1940s Broadway.

Miss Behaves Gameshow, source: supplied

Theatre lovers and 'Jersey Boys' admirers will also be treated to 'Four Seasons One Night', with smooth groover and the Australian production of 'Jersey Boys' star Bobby Fox making his own impression on all-time Frankie Valli show-stoppers such as 'Grease' and 'Oh What A Night!'.

Oh, what a festival it will be. It begs the question, what DOES come next?

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs 10-25 June.