The People Of Cabaret: We Are Here

They are here for the Digital Fringe Festival 202I - People of Cabaret is an organisation dedicated to supporting and nurturing artists who are indigenous and/or Bla(c)k and/or people of colour. They are united in spirit and are committed to building an arts platform for all their artists to thrive in.

The People Of Cabaret: We Are Here is billed as an ‘online variety spectacular’, hosted by the delectable Victoria Falconer. Aching for live theatre in live venues, bored with Covid lockdown, she has had it with online Zoom entertainment but the show must go on and so she gracefully introduces us to a proud Aradhana sister girl drag act Stone Motherless Cold. This is a clever arty rendition of “If Ever You’re Lonely” by Wilma Reading, who is an international jazz icon and an indigenous trailblazer from the early sixties.

The show is eclectic and diverse. An upbeat and inspiring piece by Gonzalo Becerra, shows off his tantric yoga movements proudly in country - his pliable body is amazing. Nefertiti LaNegra offers a glamorous drag act while the funky Cerrulean stars in her own glitzy retro film clip.  

Shiralee Hood is an hilarious comedian who knows how to tell a funny yarn, whether it be about her string bikinis or her one-too-many Aunties giving her countless bits of advice on doing things on the cheap. Hood is also a poet. She ends her skit with a beautiful poem about her bloodline and learning to love what is yours. It was her “big fat damper nose” that bothered her as a kid growing up but her Elders taught her to wear it proud, she claims it linked her to ancestry with a ‘logo of its own’.

Cheech, of African descent and a spoken word artist, delivers a punchy monologue on colonisation, cultural contradictions, and national identity. She is a powerful and resilient voice that is true and raw. Lilikoa Kaos follows with a mesmerising and colourful hula-hoop circus routine - a marvel of an act.

The founder of The People of Cabaret, the superb Miss Cairo, takes a dig at life in lockdown, conducting her boutique Zoom class for the bored ‘ladies of leisure’ set and finding herself in a pickle when her internet is down. A hilarious skit about the vacuous entrapments of social media.

The People of Cabaret have offered a glitchy warts and all show, and despite some teething problems, the show stays real and true for giving voice to a diverse group of artists.

Flora Georgiou