4th Annual Sydney Cabaret Convention
The Gala Cabaret - Saturday, June 31, 2000
Sydney Town Hall: Sydney, Australia

The Gala Cabaret of the Sydney Cabaret Convention has always been a special occasion. Unlike the four previous evenings which are held in the more intimate atmosphere of the Lower Town Hall (which is specially decorated to become the Cabaret Room), this final event is held in the Victorian splendor of the Town Hall Auditorium, with its beautiful chandeliers, old wooden panelling and carved wood and plaster decorations. This year, dinner was served as part of the festivities and the seating configuration was changed to increase sight lines and deal more effectively with the very live acoustic of the space. All in all, these improvements were a change for the better.

In addition to these cosmetic changes, the programming for the Gala Cabaret was altered. Once again, the change was an improvement. In years past an array of guest performers, some of whom have not been appropriate for cabaret, appeared. This time, the wise decision was made to structure the entertainment around the previous year's winners, performances by each of this year's finalists (as the final round of judging) and, on this occasion, a presentation of the winning Song for Sydney. However, the main focus of the night was on special guest appearances by two highly esteemed cabaret artists. This year, the great Australian entertainer Toni Lamond joined Julie Wilson to present the star turns of the evening.

The initial entertainment consisted of repeat performances by finalists, judged to be the best talent showcased over the first four days. The performances by the finalists were virtually identical with what they had done during the Showcase phase of the Convention. Though each of them seemed to experience some performance culture shock moving their performances from an intimate, low-ceilinged space seating a little over 300 to the enormous expanse of the main auditorium of the Town Hall, they all worked well.

The performances by the winners of the 1999 Cabaret Convention, Peter J. Casey and Kerry Ella, were a delight. Peter J. Casey is primarily a composer of topical Australian songs that unfailingly bring a smile to the listener. Though comparisons are rarely adequate, I would liken Casey to a cross between Tom Lehrer and Dave Frishberg, with the same sort of quirky, off-the-wall sense of humor as his American counterparts. As a performer, his charm and ease at connecting in a small or large space is a delight. He is not performing much at present, focussing his energies on the production of his musical ANGRY PENGUINS as part of the Olympic Arts Festival in September 2000. This evening he sang two of his own songs, "I'm the Man," a very funny piece about the myth of male domination, and his satirical contribution to the Song for Sydney contest, "It's The Touches That Give Sydney A Place In My Heart." Though Casey is a reluctant performer, he is the complete pro who should be coaxed into the spotlight more often.

Kerry Ella received the opportunity to attend all sessions of last year's New York Cabaret Convention and was invited to perform her show STORM IN A 'D' CUP in one of the clubs there. On the basis of her work this evening, it is obvious that she gained a great deal of polish and poise over the past year. She is less raucous and more subtle in her delivery and seemed far more comfortable in "working the crowd" than was the case before. On the basis of her singing this evening, particularly in the powerful Brel song "Carousel" ("La Valse A Mille Temps" in the Eric Blau/Mort Shuman translation) she could profit from some expert coaching to bring out the near-hysteria of this very powerful song. There is no doubt that her trip overseas was a formative experience for her.

The first special guest star of the evening was Toni Lamond, accompanied by Ron Craeger, her long- time musical director extraordinaire and the man who provided so much support for the young artists in this Cabaret Convention. It was announced that Ms. Lamond, who, by her own admission, finally made her cabaret debut in New York "after waiting 50 years," had been invited to appear at the New York Cabaret Convention. It is great to see this highly valued professional receiving the recognition she has worked so long and hard to achieve. This evening she demonstrated that she is at the top of her form with a bravura performance that began with Berlin's "I've Got The Sun In The Morning And The Moon At Night" (from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN), followed by two delightful numbers that she has performed in various cabaret appearances, "Andrew Webber Song" (by Sharon Murray, Ron Craeger and Toni Lamond) and "Not Even Nominated" (written by Kander and Ebb and specially arranged by Craeger and Lamond). This was the sort of performance that keeps an audience begging for more.

The evening gave those assembled in the Town Hall an opportunity to hear the long-awaited performance by Julie Wilson. By her own admission, she had been waiting to come to Sydney since 1965. Once here, she provided incredible value; she was present at every performance in her capacity as judge, but, more importantly, she served as an advisor and source of wise information to many of the Australian performers who were attending and performing at the Convention. Her reputation for assistance and generosity to new and experienced performers is legendary in the USA, but this week Sydney artists and fans had ample opportunity to discover that all those stories are not only true, but also tend to underestimate the warmth and heartfelt graciousness of this incomparable performer.

The finale of the evening was a 30-minute performance by Julie Wilson, accompanied by David Lewis. Julie W. is described in the program as "the Queen of New York Cabaret." Though audiences here had been given a taste of what to expect on the opening night of the Convention, they could not have predicted the impact of her skill and thorough professionalism. After this show, her description would certainly have to be altered to say "the undisputed Queen of Cabaret on Two Continents."

Julie Wilson's program consisted of nine songs, selections from what I would like to call "The Julie Wilson Songbook." This is material that she has made her own over the years and yet she has the genius to create it anew every time she performs. She opened, introducing her excellent accompanist, David Lewis, after which she graciously thanked the audience for their generosity, but then she warned us all not to get the wrong opinion about her because "I'm A Bad, Bad Woman, But I'm Good, Good Company."

Having raised the temperature of the room, she moved into the main part of her act, a celebration of the works of Stephen Sondheim, one of her favorite composers who celebrated his 70th birthday this year. Though she did not mention it this evening, Julie Wilson was one of this great composer/lyricist's earliest champions. Beginning with a sizzling R-rated performance of "Can That Boy Foxtrot" (cut from FOLLIES), she moved on to the angry, yet sadly moving "Here's To The Ladies Who Lunch" (from COMPANY) and finished the group with the wickedly suggestive "I Never Do Anything Twice" (from the film, 8 PER CENT SOLUTION).

The remainder of Julie Wilson's set consisted of a beautifully performed medley of songs from Sondheim's FOLLIES ("Beautiful Girls." "The Song Of Lucy and Jessie," "Losing My Mind" and "Leave You"). At this point it appeared that the audience would riot if Ms. Wilson did not sing an encore; they were richly rewarded with a performance of "The Baby Song," a number written by Ely Bass and given to Julie by the late Joe E. Lewis. For most of those in the room, each of these performances was a revelation. More than that, however, Julie Wilson provided a living representation of what cabaret is all about. For those 30 minutes she was singing only for each of us and magically succeeded transforming the enormous expanse of the Sydney Town Hall into an intimate space. This is the reason this artist has often been referred to as a "living national treasure." But Julie Wilson refuses to rest on her laurels. As she sang on opening night, "Don't Ask A Lady Where The Lady's Been Before" because she is creating magic NOW! On a negative note, it is a real shame that Sydney did not have the opportunity to see her perform her entire show while she was here. Can we hope for a return?

Now let's consider the evening's prizes-giving, looking at each category in reverse order of financial value: The Corporate Gold Award was awarded to the highly imaginative duo WIT (Janice Burns and Elizabeth Ross). In this case the judges made the decision to reward originality and creativity that these two women represented in performance, rather than singling out the more tradition group vocal/comedy act represented by the other group in competition. WIT demonstrates that it is possible to successfully perform comedy in the confines of a seven minute time slot with very special talent and skills. There should be a number of opportunities for these two creative women (along with Barry, their cello, who is very much a co-performer in the act) to perform at corporate functions, as well as more traditional cabaret settings. This is the sort of dry, wise-cracking and politically savvy humor for which Australia is famous and these two women are carrying on the tradition with style.

The Belvedere Award was won by Craig Schneider. He will also be given a round trip to New York with accommodation and a guest pass to attend all sessions of the 2000 New York Cabaret Convention. Schneider will certainly benefit from seeing other pianists/vocalists work when he goes to New York. Last year, I said that he not only found the right material to showcase his art, "but also reached out into the shadows where we sat and made that space a little less isolating." Since then, Craig seems to have become more focussed, less formal and more at ease. His second song, "Ugly Woman," a calypso-flavored number by Hubert R Charles, was the big crowd pleaser and, I suspect, the item on his program that put him over into the winner's circle. It was good to see this very personable young man varying his squeaky clean image and "gettin' down" with some humor in this number. Craig Schneider has the makings of a sophisticated piano and song man. I am certain he will return from NYC with steamer trunks packed full of new ideas.

The City of Sydney Award was won by Annie Francis, providing her with a round trip to New York with accommodation and an invitation to perform at the 2000 New York Cabaret Convention. This was last night's most discussed nomination for finalist and an even more controversial choice for the First Prize. On the basis of her performance last night and this evening, there is no doubt this young woman has a stunning voice, but her lack of experience and the rather ordinary interpretations she gave to the Bobby Darrin hit "As Long As I'm Singin' My Song" and the Kander and Ebb ballad "Maybe This Time" (from CABARET) seem to call the judges' decision into question and fly in the face of wisdom. How will she deal with the considerable pressure she encounters when performing along with the cabaret establishment at the New York Convention when her only prior experience has been playing clubs in New South Wales? She certainly has a lot to gain by listening to others, but is the timing right for her to appear in such a high-powered setting? There is no doubt that the judges thought so, but why?

At this point it is time to deal with the hard questions about what this Sydney Cabaret Convention is trying to do. Is it a showcase for both the inexperienced graduate and more seasoned talent? Yes. Does it provide developmental opportunities for young artists to hear, see and learn from what their peers are doing? Yes. Is it entertaining for the cabaret-hungry public to sample the vast range of talent currently working in Australia? Yes. If so, is there a need to turn this celebration of home-grown cabaret talent into a talent quest? Does this element of competition really make the Convention more interesting? This is questionable.

What was the criteria for judging who made the final "cut"? Was a "this will play in New York" point of view critical in their decision-making? Do only two judges, one of whom is from overseas and unaware of local quirks, humor and idiosyncrasies, provide enough breadth of knowledge and perspective on the "arts business" here to make the best possible decision? Are the judges looking at future potential to be developed or were they looking for young professionals who already have worked long and hard to develop their craft? In previous years, the award has gone to young artists who had already performed quite extensively (Margi De Ferranti, Maree Johnson and Peter J. Casey). Because of this, they were equipped to utilize the New York experience as a sort of post-graduate course that might propel them to the next stage in their development. This issue of judging criteria should be thoroughly spelled out if so much is to "ride" on the outcome for the singers.

Does there need to be a winner if the convention's most talented performers are too raw and unrefined for the scrutiny of cabaret sophisticates in New York? Is it a positive developmental experience to send gifted, yet unschooled "naturals" into that milieu? What would be gained? Perhaps the winning prize should include coaching from an expert such as Kerrie Biddell to better prepare whoever wins this prize for the experience that awaits them? It is a great thing for the winner to travel to New York, but once there it is essential that the selected artist be able to put this very rich experience to the best possible use.

What alternatives could be explored? Perhaps large and small corporate players could be enlisted to assist with a variety of award outcomes. This year, the Millennium hotel chain provided major sponsorship for the second prize. Maybe they could provide a venue for performance by the winning artist next year at the Belvedere Room? A small five-year old business, Celebration Innovation, volunteered to provide the Corporate Gold Prize and thus created the opportunity to recognize other kinds of acts, such as small groups, that do not stretch the Convention's airfare and accommodation budget, nor fit the New York Cabaret Convention model for acceptable acts. This young organization is to be commended for its vision and corporate generosity.

Just think of what more could be done for the development of young artists. Why not arrange to have corporate sponsorship for a suitably gifted performer to audition and attend the Cabaret Symposium, held yearly since 1989, at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. The course consists of 10 days of intensive immersion in the art of cabaret and the opportunity to work with a faculty that includes Julie Wilson, Kay Starr and Margaret Whiting and composers such as Craig Carnelia. This year the symposium is being held from August 18 - 26, 2000. I would suggest that such an opportunity would provide a formative experience that would be equal to, if not greater than, attending and performing at the New York Cabaret Convention. And this is only one of a number of possibilities.

Perhaps it is time for the organizers to have a re-think about the program format for the Cabaret Convention. What about the possibility of opening with a gala theme night with performances by former Convention winners, as well as the best of Australian talent, including jazz artists? The list of possibilities is limited only by one's imagination, but here are a few suggestions: Australian cabaret and theater songs, new cabaret compositions from overseas, music from European cabaret (such as Parisian chanson or songs from the political cabaret of the Weimar Republic), songs of the great American songwriters (Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin,., etc.). This event might be added to the current program (on Monday night, perhaps) or replace the current showcase and guest star format of the opening night, thus limiting the showcases to three days.

Finally, how is the cause of cabaret in Australia being advanced by holding this Sydney Cabaret Convention? Undoubtedly, Geoffrey Williams, the producer of the Convention for the City of Sydney, and Michael Freundt, the consultant who was singularly responsible for coordinating this event, have a far more inclusive and developmental vision for this Cabaret Convention than was the case for the 3rd West Coast Cabaret Convention which I recently attended. The stated goal of Freundt and Williams to give as many artists an opportunity to perform during showcases and their inclusion of the Masterclass provide ample evidence of their intention to nurture young performers and advance the cause of cabaret performance Down Under. The City of Sydney is to be loudly applauded for its remarkable support of this effort. In a very short time, the Sydney Cabaret Convention has become a "Formula One" class event on the world cabaret circuit.

No, I certainly have not managed to answer all the questions I have raised about the development of cabaret in Australia or the part that the Sydney Cabaret Convention can do to assist in that endeavor, but after five stunning and provocative nights here I can only echo the words of the great John Bucchino song: "Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am."

David M Schwartz

Master Class of the 2000 Sydney Cabaret Convention

Daily Reports on the 2000 Sydney Cabaret Convention

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