The queue was already growing over an hour before the show was scheduled to start. I found myself way down near the entrance to the National Gallery of Victorian surrounded by people chatting enthusiastically about their memories of Keating, The Musical. Some had clearly followed Keating
from its earliest incarnation at the Melbourne Fringe, through its triumph at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, to it's broadcast on ABC TV. They were bubbling with anticipation and happily sharing their favourite moments.
I too was looking forward to the show. I first saw Casey Bennetto perform at a jam session after a show at The Store Room in North Fitzroy (now no more in its original form) and was bowled over by his musical prowess; my could he belt out a song. I was also in on another secret, Aurora Kurth was to perform with him. Again I first saw her perform at The Store Room and was impressed with her incredible physical skills as an actor (another of those wonderful graduates from the John Bolton School - think also of Tammy Anderson in her one woman show I Don't Want to Play House). It was in Kurth's Comedy Festival performance Take The L Out of Lover that I discovered her vocal abilities; Kurth can sing in any style from opera to pop to country.
With all this anticipation comes a certain anxiety, will this new show be a disappointment? Will all concerned be able to repeat, if not better, earlier performances?
In his A Largely Fanciful History of the Spiegeltent, Bennetto again demonstrates his mastery of musical genres and his great skills as a lyricist. His lyrics are to die for – pithy, intelligent, contemporary and always with a knowing political edge; he knows how to tell a story and we love stories. Music and lyrics are inextricably intertwined, sometimes complementing, at others counterpointing each other. My only problem was that I wanted to come back to another performance to fully appreciate all that was being said. Add to this a plethora of talented musicians and performers and this was a night to savour and to remember.
The audience was anything but disappointed, especially as the show brought together some of our favourites from Keating including Mike McLeish, no longer the dapper, Italian suited Keating; Eddie Perfect, without his fishnets; and some of Bennetto's band The Drowsy Drivers. And this is just to mention a few. Along the way this talented crew treated us to some Belgian Country Folk – you need to see it to believe it; some Weimar Cabaret; some swing courtesy of Frank's lesser-known younger brother Fred Sinatra (channeled by Bennetto himself); and the wonderful Leila Montesano-Jones (Kurth), chanteuse extraordinaire - breathy, sultry and seductive. There were ballads, waltz, brass, rock/pop and a touch of Latin with the up tempo finale It's Fantastic.
There was no need to have worried; A Largely Fanciful History of the Spiegeltent was a wonderful night of musical entertainment that brought The Famous Spiegeltent fully to life. In Bennetto's 'history' she may have had her ups and downs but on this night in Melbourne she shone in all her sparkling glory.
A Largely Fanciful History of the Spiegeltent
Casey Bennetto
Venue: The Spiegeltent, the Arts Centre, Forecourt
When: Sat 11 & Sun 12 Oct at 7pm
Duration: 1hr no interval
Prices: Full $30 / Group $27 / Conc $22.50 / MF-Y $25
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 136 166 / www.melbournefestival.com.au
Visit: www.spiegeltent.net.au