Dolly Diamond’s The Lady is a Tramp

I couldn’t go to the Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2017 without catching Artistic Director, Dolly Diamond’s show, The Lady is a Tramp, a fun-filled romp of adult humour, daring costumes and girl-power songs.

In true cabaret style, each performance is unique. While Diamond did shows of the same title in Perth and Adelaide, she explained, the Melbourne season is different again. I imagine, every night is different! Diamond is truly a master of improvisation, spitting out sassy comments quicker than a popcorn machine.

As always, Diamond looked gorgeous, flaunting everything from a wedding dress, rainbow sequins and even her birthday suit! From the moment she entered the stage in a fur coat, bling jewellery and a wheelchair, the show was visually, vocally and verbally packed with entertainment value.

Diamond’s voice had plenty of growl. Flanked by her back-up singers Tash York and Justin Clausen, the trio rocked re-worked songs such as It’s a woman’s world. Diamond’s eye for talent is evident in those two, as with the rest of the performers she’s lined up as Artistic Director of this year’s festival.

Other highlights of the 2017 Melbourne Cabaret Festival include Queenie van de Zandt’s Blue: The Songs of Joni Mitchell and Danielle O’Malley’s You’re My World, The Cilla Black Story, where you might even see Diamond perform a song at the end of the show!

Sophia Dickinson

Image: Photos by Jeevs.