Adore Handel’s Cautionary Tales

Adore Handel’s Cautionary Tales are more than just stories; they are life lessons told by a time traveller who has been there and done that!

Following his success at the Adelaide Fringe in 2024 with his show Adore Handel’s Little Black Book, Adore (AKA Luke Bell) returns with a new show, bigger and cheekier than ever.

The stage is bare, except for a stand with Adore’s book of cautionary tales and lovers. In darkness we hear a powerful rendering of part of the Marriage of Figaro. The aria finishes and Adore appears, resplendent in his 17^th century finery (pink with countless sequins and white hose, beautifully ornate court shoes, and the most amazing white powdered wig I have ever seen).

Adore jokes that most of his budget was spent on his costume and we can see why. But looks are only a small proportion of this production. His stage presence is mesmerising; his rich powerful baritone voice is an incredible instrument that is equally at home in the opera and pop repertoire. Lastly there is his masterful storytelling and ability to engage the audience including some audience participation that sees one audience member become a sheep and two others given a purple feathered quill pen and notebook to keep track of his amorous exploits.

As Adore says, “Nothing matters as much as love!”. He relates the stories of three of the great loves of his life; his female German maths teacher whose leaving left him devastated and singing the Whitney Houston classic ‘I Will Always Love You.’

The focus then shifts to some rave reviews of Adore’s work and one negative review from a Mr Pennybottom, who appears to have ‘missed the point’ of Adore’s life and romantic trysts.

We return to Adore’s book to hear about his next love, John from Maine in 1896, a farmer who won his heart. However, through no lack of trying, things just do not work sexually as Adore laments in “I Want it That Way’.

The last romantic dalliance is with Alex from Berlin who meets Adore in a seedy German cabaret to the song ‘Willkommen’ from the iconic musical Cabaret. Unfortunately, as a time traveller, Adore cannot consummate this relationship for familial reasons.

He ends his show with the following reminders “Caution is not avoiding love”, “Caution is not to settle for anything but the extraordinary”, “Caution is to avoid mediocrity.”

As icing on the cake, Adore finishes his performance with the Abba classic ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Give Me a Man After Midnight’, enthusiastically delivered.

A special mention should be made of the lighting for this show. It was complex and accentuated Adore’s every mood.

Adore Handel’s Cautionary Tales is more than a performance. It is an audience with a time traveller extraordinaire and his love exploits. It is advice worth taking and one of the funniest sixty minutes you will spend with a maestro of storytelling and song!

Barry Hill OAM

Photographer: Bri Hammond

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