The George and Svetlana Show

By Paul Knox for Arts Hub.

Following the production of the commedia dell’Arte Alarm! for the 2008 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Debbie Zukerman and Celeste Markwell have reprised their characters, George and Svetlana Pantalone for a take on cabaret with a touch of improvisation.

The characters, originally conceived for irreverent social commentary, are fish out of water in a cabaret setting. Add to this two performers who are not particularly accomplished singers, and George and Svetlana saunters along a precarious tightrope of cabaret that relies more on its comedic content than its musical appeal.

Whereas for others this may have been a misstep, Zukerman and Markwell manage to turn deficiencies into charm, re-inventing the Pantalones as an old show-business couple at the end of a long tour, barely able to paper over the cracks of a failing relationship. The songs range from typical cabaret to an enchanting re-arrangement of a Ben Folds classic, all introduced (or interrupted) by partially improvised comedic vignettes that almost always hit the mark.

The performers are supremely confident with their characters and, whilst this incarnation may have lacked some of the punch and more bawdy action that made Alarm! particularly enjoyable, they entertain comically, musically and physically. A highlight of the show are the two dance numbers that take advantage of the significant height difference between Zukerman and Markwell and give them a chance to throw each other around the tiny Butterfly Club stage. They are also an opportunity for “Guy on the Piano” (played by Dave Barclay) to shine; a talented pianist, he also lends his polished vocal talents to these sections.

In The George and Svetlana Show, director Robin Davidson has created a quirky, punchy and fun evening of entertainment. The performers seem to enjoy themselves as much as the audience who chuckled along with them throughout. In cabaret, who could ask for more?

The George and Svetlana Show runs until the 31st of May at The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne. Book now

Multi-award winner Jacob Diefenbach returns to 'Face The Music'

GREEN ROOM AWARD WINNER

JACOB DIEFENBACH

RETURNS TO “FACE THE MUSIC”

The Butterfly Club (204 Bank St, South Melbourne)
Thursday – Sunday, 25-28 June 2009, 9 pm (except Sunday, 8 pm)

Brisbane-based cabaret performer, Jacob Diefenbach – recent winner of the Green Room Award for “Best Original Songs” in the cabaret genre – returns to The Butterfly Club, Melbourne’s iconic house of cabaret, to present “Facing The Music”.

Diefenbach’s Green Room win came hot off the heels of receiving the “Best Cabaret” gong at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in October last year, and a nomination for “Best Musical” at the Matilda Awards in Brisbane earlier this year.

Things may be moving fast for 25-year-old Diefenbach, but even so, his latest offering, “Facing The Music”, is a sobering wake up a call for working musicians.

Jacob confides, “I’m not quite Lindsay yet.”

Diefenbach, whose influences range from “Bach” to “Britney” (though you’ll hear less of her in his lyrics), has been creating a stir with his electric live performances.

“Facing The Music” is a darkly comical and shamelessly self-referential look at what it takes to ‘make it’ in the music biz. Jacob admits that his latest show is his greatest step into the world of cabaret to date, playing the struggling / eternally insecure and self-questioning artist – at once desperate to please, jaded, reflective and, at times, hysterical (“It's not much of a stretch”, he concedes).

“Coming out as a musician was, in many ways, harder than “coming out” in general.”

“I thought I had it figured out – thought I’d graduate from law, become a top human rights activist and settle down in some pretty, inner-city suburb. Yeah, it didn’t turn out that way.”

“Facing The Music” traces Diefenbach’s personal journey to make music a part of his life.

In August, Diefenbach heads into Lunchbox Studios, under the guidance of Powderfinger’s Darren Middleton, to record his third CD release.

LISTING INFO
Dates / times: Thursday – Sunday, 25-28 June, 9 pm (except Sun, 8 pm)
Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne
Bookings: The Butterfly Club's secure bookings site - www.thebutterflyclub.com
Ticket price: $22 full / $17 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Duration: 60 minutes approx
More info: Listen to the title track at Jacob's myspace site