All Go on the Festival Front

Our cover this issue features the five handsome guys who make up the cast of Altar Boyz.

An off-Broadway smash that hasn’t been seen in Adelaide before, Altar Boyz tells the story of a Christian boy band from Ohio, going behind the scenes to take hefty swipes at the boy band “industry”, America’s love of Christian rock and the manipulations of the music industry itself.

Director David Gauci told Peter Burdon that while there are a lot of laughs in the show, there’s also some raw emotion making the show and the characters quite dynamic. Gauci has formed a new company Davine Interventionz, to produce the show. I know from experience it’s often difficult for local talent to get an audience at Fringe time with so much going on, especially if you’re performing outside the CBD. So I cannot urge you strongly enough to get down to the Star Theatres at Hilton and support your local artists.

Also as part of Fringe the glamorous Kristina Crème is presenting I’m Every Woman at the Nexus Cabaret. It promises to be a vibrant night of glittering drag – and after all Fringe wouldn’t be complete without a sprinkling of glitter, would it? Creator Andrew Bassi has started up a new production company also, Crème de la Crème, which seems to be starting out in leaps and bounds. Get along and support the girls and keep your eyes open for future productions.

Did anybody see Cantina in a previous Fringe? It was an amazingly energetic, entertaining and successful show and its successor Limbo is part of this year’s Fringe. Peter Burdon spoke to eye-watering contortionist Jonathon Nosan about the new show. If it’s anything like Cantina, tickets will disappear fast, so be warned: book early.

British dramatist Bryony Lavery (Frozen, Stockholm, Red Sky) is no stranger to controversy. Her latest play, Thursday, is inspired by the shocking London bombings of 2005 and particularly the story of Adelaide-born Londoner Gill Hicks who lost her legs in the carnage. The play is having its world premiere as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts, presented by Brink Productions and directed by Chris Drummond. It promises to be confronting, controversial and moving.

Also hitting town for the Festival is legendary American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor Van Dyke Parks. Noted for his work with the Beach Boys, Parks has worked with many of the greats of the music industry over the years, as well as gaining notice for his highly idiosyncratic compositions. He’s bringing Daniel Johns (yes the reclusive guy from Silverchair) and Kimbra to the party. It’s a one-night-only show, so once again book early, if you can.

And in more local news the fabulous Feast Bingo is back! It’s these fundraisers that keep the Feast Festival alive, so get along and support them. Enjoy!

Ron Hughes is the editor of blaze.