Two iconic venues will unite for a series of concerts giving Sydneysiders an experience never to be repeated. For close to a century The Famous Spiegeltent has seduced international audiences, but this spring it will be staged in its best ever location, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
A festival of music, comedy, cabaret and kids shows, Gorgeous! will feature 40 acts in 60 performances from 17 October to 15 November. Two different shows will be staged daily Tuesday to Friday, three shows on a Saturday and four shows on Sunday. Kids shows will run on selected weekends.
Gorgeous! will be the one and only time The Famous Spiegeltent shares Bennelong Point with Sydney Opera House. The temporary venue will replace The Studio which must close for two months as part of the ongoing Accessibility and Western Foyers Project.
Homegrown music will dominate the program with Australian icons such as Vanessa Amorosi, Jimmy Barnes, Stephen Cummings, Dave Graney, Jeff Lang, Dave McCormack, Tex Perkins and Don Walker set to take to the Spiegeltent stage.
Alongside these local legends, some of Australia’s new breed of singer songwriters including The Audreys, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Lior, Kate Miller-Heidke, Old Man River, Dan Sultan and Holly Throsby will also perform.
Audiences will be tempted by Christa Hughes and other Australian cabaret stars including the gypsy punk sounds of Juke Baritone and a return season of The Burlesque Hour. Irish chanteuse and Spiegeltent sensation, Camille O’Sullivan returns to Sydney, alongside Kenny Mellman in his Grace Jones tribute I’ve Got a Bulletproof Heart and notorious US dykon Lea Delaria.
Two of France’s most original contemporary musicians Tété and Ronan/Ronan will give an alternate sound to Gorgeous!, as will Fine Blue Thread and local percussion trio Circle of Rhythm.
In a rare treat, acclaimed boogie-woogie pianist Dick Hughes will be joined by his daughter, the former lead singer of Machine Gun Fellatio, Christa for a jazz-blues recital. The pair will recreate the lounge room of her youth in which a teenage Christa would learn the standards from her legendary father.
Fusing Brazilian and African elements with jazz, New York singer Gretchen Parlato has an ethereal voice and understated, improvised approach. Lauded by jazz legend Herbie Hancock and hailed by critics as a female Frank Sinatra, this will be her first ever Sydney show.
Gorgeous! will also feature German brother-sister act Die Roten Punkte and some of Australia’s brightest comedy acts including Rod Quantock, Sam Simmons and Tripod. Kids’ shows will be presented on selected weekends from The Casio Brothers, Loose Canon and Men of Steel.
“This is an exciting opportunity to give the people of Sydney the ultimate Famous Spiegeltent experience, where The Studio’s programming meets one of the most beautiful performance venues in the world, all set on the world’s most stunning harbour,” Sydney Opera House Chief Executive Richard Evans said.
“Lovers of The Studio will see some familiar names but we also hope to attract an entirely new audience with an intoxicating carnival of characters across the 25-day program.”
Spiegelmaestro David Bates said only a handful of the hand-hewn pavilions are left in the world today. “Like every old theatre, her ghosts travel with her, woven into ballooning velvet canopies, circular teak dance floor and stained, cut-glass windows,” he said.
“The Famous Spiegeltent’s intimate booths, ornate bar and bevelled mirror columns hold a million secrets while her glorious Art Nouveau chandelier swings overhead.”