Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret

Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret would have to be one of the funniest shows I have had the pleasure of watching recently. Not only is it an entertaining evening of song and music, it is also a very tongue-in-cheek look at the present state of cabaret (particularly in Australia) and the domination of young performers within the field.

The show features self proclaimed cabaret star Braydn Bracksell (Luke Barron) and his long suffering pianist (who is referred to as such) Peter Rutherford. Peter provides a commentary on the annoying aspects of cabaret as Braydn, desperate to please and impress his audience, proceeds to go for all of the clichés.

Anyone who has seen a few cabarets can appreciate the 10 things (well actually 11) mentioned in this show and see the humour in them. I have seen many young performers, barely out of arts school themselves, wanting to share their life stories with audiences. While some certainly have a good story to tell, others really struggle to draw from what is a relatively ‘normal’ life. It is from this that Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret (written by James Millar) gets its ammunition.

Luke Barron does an incredible job as Braydn, he sings and acts well and is totally convincing as the oblivious star. Peter Rutherford plays effortlessly and sings well, providing an excellent counterpoint to the over the top Barron/Bracksell. If you get a chance check out this show, it is outstanding and one of the funniest things you will see. Even if you aren’t aware of all of the clichés you will get a kick out of Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret.