There's a relatable moment for everyone in Karen Lee Roberts' show 'Chameleon’.
'Chameleon' is a jazz and blues cabaret show, about mental wellness, rising above adversity and beating the odds.
It will appeal to anyone who has experienced highs and lows, but is sure to be particularly meaningful through the eyes of someone – like Karen, the show's creator – who has battled with mental illness.
Karen is living with bipolar disorder and creates work which she hopes will convey social and emotional messages to her audiences and educate them, too. She has performed in the musical 'Hair' on London's West End, was featured in the Helpmann-nominated show 'Intimate Space', and performed in the Adelaide Fringe multiple award-winning show 'Wilbur The Optical Whale' (developed from Karen's book of the same name), among a host of other theatrical feats and experiences.
'Chameleon' is a wild ride, deep into the twisted rabbit-hole of the human psyche, with music and lyrics by Karen Lee Roberts herself. Karen will introduce you to Barbara, smoking cigars, Phillip refusing the foie gras, and Stephanie with her boob job.
We chat with Karen to learn more.
What has inspired you to create this show?
I suffered with severe episodes of bipolar disorder for over 20 years, and through employing wellness practices, I have risen above adversity and managed to beat the odds to achieve mental stability. I wanted to share stories of my journey – many real, some fictitious – in a series of vignettes to entertain and educate people with similar experiences that they too could challenge mental health issues and find wellness. My inspiration was from my own lived experience of living with a mental health condition and beating it.
Why do you think it’s worth checking out as part of Adelaide Fringe?
'Chameleon' is funny, it is moving, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry. In these times we are living in with COVID, people are experiencing anxiety, stress and depression more than ever, and a show which can show them avenues to overcome barriers in relation to living with these factors is essential viewing. It has wonderful original music, quirky text and is an all round entertaining show.
Tell us a bit about the original music in ‘Chameleon’.
I wrote all the music and lyrics for ‘Chameleon’. The songs all have a message, and the lyrics tell tales about incidents from my life or reflections on how I viewed the world at the time of writing them. Each song tells a story and depicts reflections on people or society. They are a mixture of blues, jazz, folk, and soft rock.
Are there any direct inspirations for the music? Anyone you were inspired by when writing it?
I have been inspired by various types of music, rather than people, although I have many artists I’ve loved over the years. Jazz and blues was what I sang in my early career in London’s West End, and that comes through in my songs. I love Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee to name a few. I listened to popular music around the time I was first composing some of the songs, as well as bands like Queen and artists like Elton John. I would say my influences are very eclectic.
What has been the most rewarding thing when it comes to putting this production together?
When I perform the show, every time afterwards, people from the audience approach me and tell me how much it has meant to them and impressed them with its message. That they too, or someone they know, suffer from mental health issues, and they can relate to the content in the cabaret so very much. They thank me for sharing my story and bringing light to the topic and raising awareness. This means so very much to me and makes putting each show on worthwhile and rewarding.
There’s a bit of audience participation here too, right? Tell us about that.
Well, there are two levels of audience participation in the show. First, the audience gets to participate in an online poll when they purchase their tickets to decide the outcome of the show! They choose a particular scene as it unfolds, and also who I go on a date with – Mr Daniel or Miss Daniella! Secondly, before COVID happened, I used to pull up a member of the audience to help me out in the dating scene as my Mr Daniel or Miss Daniella. But since restrictions have disallowed that, I now have a hilarious moment with a makeshift creation I have fashioned. . . Not giving too much away!
What is your biggest hope for how audiences receive/react to this show?
I hope audiences will laugh, they will perhaps shed a tear, that they will love the quirky dialogue and enjoy the beautiful songs. I want for them to understand my journey and realise the possibilities of overcoming what may seem like insurmountable odds. I hope that they will come away feeling hopeful and refreshed and ready to face the future.
And what’s the most important thing you want to teach them?
I wish to impart to the audience my message of mental wellness, that by employing certain strategies such as socialising, taking medication if needed, having physical intimacy, and exercising regularly, you can rise above adversity and challenge a mental health condition you may have. Depression, anxiety and stress are so paramount in this COVID world we live in today, and if more people can be reached with ways to overcome their battles of the black dog, then we are on a road to a better place. People can improve their position mentally by putting a few approaches into place: I did, and I have thrived. I want the same for others.
'Chameleon' plays Auditorium at Diverse-City @ West Village (Adelaide Fringe) 2-5 March.
