Rhonda Burchmore: Red Hot And Saucy
Civic Cabaret 388 Pitt Street, two-course dinner with show $115; tickets: 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au
Civic Cabaret has arrived! What does this mean? Okay, once upon a time Sydney had Kinselas (aaaah) and we had the Tilbury (huge sad sigh) and then there was nothing. Literally nothing. Okay, there have been roach-ridden hellholes and crappy sub-venues all trying to do “cabaret” (as if cabaret means pack-em-in, serve ‘em swill and make ‘em sweat for a third rate warbler with nowhere else to go).
And then, along comes a blessed collision of Trevor Ashley, Peter Conistis and the Civic Hotel on the corner of Goulburn and Pitt in Sydney’s CBD and – pouf! – we have magic!
Trevor Ashley, as you probably know, is the embodiment of nouveau cabaret in Sydney, and it didn’t start with his uncanny channeling of with a Zee. No no, he is Mr Showbiz and he appears to bedetermined to give Sydney back its showbiz soul whether this damned bone idle city likes it or not.
Trev launched Civic Cabaret tonight (October 21) with the glorious, the naughty, the wicked, the thoroughly rude and truly insanely skinny and fabulous Rhonda Burchmore. And it was an inspired choice. Burchmore personifies cabaret with a capital C. She has timing, she has pizzazz, she has the nerve to be rude, crude and totally delightful. She can sing, she looks marvelous, she has the timing of a Swiss timepiece. And she effortlessly fronts one of the tastiest trios (piano, bass, drums) this side of wherever jazz is at its most cool: and she basically and divinely floats.
Add to this mix the seriously classy food served by the Eleni kitchen in an elegant deco dining room fronting an intimate stage and a well-stocked bar and kaboom – you have the nite spot Sydney has been waiting for but we were too dozy to figure out we were lacking.
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As well as the divine Rhonda – get down there and see what this gal can do with a chair – there is Grace Knight and after that, Tom Burlinson who will undoubtedly channel Sinatra and blow you away; and then – who knows, the sky’s the limit.
The exciting thing about Trevor Ashley’s initiative is that not only is he presenting for the very best cabaret talent – and you have to experience that to realize how good that is – but it’s coupled with some of Sydney’s best and most sophisticated dining. So you don’t have to settle for a greasy burger or a bowl of dubious soup, rather, what’s on the menu is excellent food, good wine and great entertainment.
You don’t have to eat, by the way – you can do dinner and show or just the show – but it’s hard to go past the exhilarating effect of the Conistis food and first class talent for a memorable night out. On opening night, for instance, duck confit with pomegranate salad struck the right note of delicious and funky.
This latest incarnation of Civic entertainment and dining should work if Sydney is smart enough to realize what’s being offered. We keep moaning about the lack of places such as this – well here it is people. Support it!
