Scintillating CABARET Headlines Tented Mini-Festival
Newcastle’s favourite pop-up venue, Spiegeltent Newcastle, is set to take up its prime location at Civic Park again during March and April, with a program oozing excitement, talent, variety and class – a mix of old favourites together with brand new acts.
COVID-19-UPDATE*
In light of the evolving status of COVID-19, and on advice from Australian Health Officials and the Australian government, it is with heavy hearts that we today announce that the March-April Spiegeltent Newcastle season will not proceed as originally planned. Instead, the season will be postponed with new dates to be announced.
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Now heading into its fourth local season, the 2020 program features circus-cabaret sensation Blanc de Blanc Encore as the headline show.
Created by entertainment masters Strut & Fret, Blanc de Blanc Encore features an internationally renowned cast of dancers, acrobats and entertainers who create a feast for the eyes, ears and minds with their daring moves, risqué acts and vintage glamour.
“Tickets to Blanc de Blanc Encore have been flying since we announced its Newcastle season back in July 2019. Some fans of the original Blanc de Blanc missed out on tickets to Blanc de Blanc Encore in other cities, so if you want to catch it in Newcastle, it would be wise to get in quick,” said Spiegeltent and Strut & Fret Director, Scott Maidment.
Designed around the concept of ‘Champagne’, the original Blanc de Blanc was created four years ago at the request of the Sydney Opera House. Since then the show has become an international smash hit, with extensive touring and seasons in London’s West End.
“The show sort of mirrors the feeling of when you’re having a nice glass of Champagne… you think you’re all smooth and sophisticated, you sit down, and you taste the Champagne, and it’s all very la-de-dah,” said Scott of the original Blanc de Blanc.
“But then after a few glasses and a good night out, it all turns a bit crazy, sometimes a bit debaucherous and a bit of a heady mess, and that’s really the shape of the show overall!”
Fresh from record-breaking sell-out seasons at Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Festival and Darwin Festival, Blanc de Blanc Encore revisits the hedonistic, Champagne-soaked world of beautiful debauchery in Blanc de Blanc. The sequel invites audiences to crack open the Champagne and indulge their senses in a scintillating, steamy blend of breath-taking live jazz, thrilling circus tricks, side-splitting comedy, astounding acrobatics and risqué humour. Blanc de Blanc Encore is a party of Gatsby-esque proportions. Packed with plenty of skin and more than a few surprises, this is opulent, edge-of-your-seat theatre that will pop your cork.
While Blanc de Blanc Encore is the headline act during the Spiegeltent’s return to Newcastle during March and April, the 2020 season also includes a number of performances from some of Australia’s favourite comedians and cabaret and dance performances from some of the best nationally and internationally touring performers.
“Audiences are in for a real treat with this program – the calibre of acts is truly outstanding. There are old favourites and new faces: a line-up of some of the very best comedy, music and cabaret talent Australia, and the world has to offer,” said Scott.
Program highlights for the 2020 season include:
Joel Creasey: Australia’s Crown Prince of Comedy is back with a brand-new hour of sass and sauce;
Chopper: Winner of the Comic’s Choice Award at the 2018 MICF, Heath Franklin hits Newcastle with Chopper’s latest stand-up show;
Tackling modern love and lust is Logie-Award-winning legend Effie In Love Me Tinder.
Dom Chambers – Fake Wizard: Winner of Best Magic Show at the Adelaide Fringe in 2019, a semi-finalist in America’s Got Talent, and star of the sell-out Broadway hit show The Illusionists, Dom Chambers returns to Australia in 2020 with his biggest show yet!
Shades of Bubleé: Direct from a sold-out USA tour. Expect smooth choreography, dashing good-looks and astonishing vocal talent from this New York-based three-man tribute show to Michael Bublé;
Son: Susan O’Neil is the rising star of Ireland that critics have compared to Adele, Florence Welch and Janis Joplin;
This show from a multi-award-winning comedy icon has taken Australia by storm! Don’t miss Judith Lucy vs Men;
Anne Edmonds appears in her stand-up show, What’s Wrong With You. As seen on Channel 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention and her own ABC show The Edge Of The Bush;
Carlotta: the living legend of Australian cabaret returns with a new show I’m Not Dead Yet Darlings;
The Kransky Sisters: From Abba to Daft Punk, Sia to Steppenwolf, these three eccentric sisters with their eclectic mix of instruments including musical saw, tuba, old reed keyboard, and kitchen pots, have cooked up a very special sweet and sour serving of well-known songs gleaned from their old wireless at home; and
Reneé Geyer: Geyer started life as a sassy blues belter. Now she is the consummate entertainer with a proud body of work still transfixing audiences with the power of her music and voice.
“We’ve put together an amazing line-up to complement Blanc de Blanc Encore… it’s like a mini-festival in the tent. You can visit a couple of times to see different things – we’re announcing new acts all the time – so you need to keep checking back. We’ve got a magical venue, and we want as many people to experience it as possible.”
You’ll find the Spiegeltent located in Civic Park Newcastle from 26 March until 19 April, with Blanc de Blanc Encore performances running daily for the entirety. For the full program of events and tickets visit www.spiegeltentnewcastle.com.au
Words: Di von Essen
