Five Must-See Shows at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival 2016

For two weeks, life really is a cabaret.

Life is a cabaret, old chum — or at least that's what we've been told. Now we'll get the chance to find out. Heating up venues in both Prahran and the CBD, the latest edition of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival will welcome more than 100 different performers from around Australia and the world, for two weeks of singing, dancing and outrageous fun from June 14.

This year's festival hub will be based out of Chapel Off Chapel, with additional shows at The Space Arts and Dance Centre and Love Machine Nightclub in Prahran, as well as The Butterfly Club in the city. The fun begins on Tuesday, June 14 with an opening night gala featuring some of the biggest acts of the festival, and won't stop until Sunday, June 26, with a closing night billed as "Australia's biggest piano bar party".

In between, punters can check out over 40 different shows, from acts like UK performer Joe Stilgoe to Steve Ross (dubbed The Crown Prince of New York Cabaret by The New York Times) and local performers like Yana Alana, Imogen Spendlove, Geraldine Quinn and Rod Davies. Here's five shows you shouldn't miss.

• 5

  

  Joe Stilgoe: Songs on Film

  Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran

  Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran

  June 15-16

  Take a trip to the pictures with singer, pianist and cinephile Joe Stilgoe. A smash hit at the Edinburgh Fringe where it has sold out the past two years, Songs on Film raids the soundtracks of some of the greatest movies ever made. Over the course of their hour-long show, Stilgoe and his band pay tribute to more than a century of Hollywood history, from golden age classics to Pixar and the jukebox of Mr. Quentin Tarantino. Two shows only.

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• 4

  

  Jenny Wynter: Viking Mama!

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  June 23-25

  Parenting can be difficult at the best of times — so imagine what it was like in the tenth century. Viking Mama! is the new narrative comedy from Brisbane-based performer Jenny Wynter, and follows a Viking named Jenny (naturally) as she attempts to plan a birthday party for her three-year-old son, played by a head of lettuce (of course). Complete with a Greek chorus of Valkyries and a bearded lady on keyboard, Wynter’s show explores the perils of parenthood, and shapes up as one of the most intriguingly odd options on the program.

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• 3

  

  Alexandra Keddie: I See Me & Meryl Streep

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  June 21-22

  One of the greatest actors in film history is on her way to Melbourne. Well, sort of. I See Me & Meryl Streep may not technically feature the three-time Oscar winner, but word is Alexandra Keddie does a damn good impression. With a soundtrack straight out of Mamma Mia, this adoring tribute show combines the most memorable moments of Meryl’s magnificent career. And if nothing else, Keddie should at least be able to manage a better Aussie accent than Streep did when she played Lindy Chamberlain.

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• 2

  

  Australian Horror Story

  Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran

  Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran

  June 17-19

  Karlis Zaid, Mark Jones and Aurora Kurth star in the latest version of their dark satirical musical about the war on terror in our own backyard. Described by one of its creators as a “macabrial” (macabre musical), Australian Horror Story sounds seriously twisted. Where else are you going to hear a song about a lonely flasher, or hear lyrics that instruct you to “cup the balls of consternation”? There are plenty of family friendly shows at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival this year, but this definitely isn’t one of them.

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• 1

  

  Taryn Ryan: The Naked Truth

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  The Space Dance & Arts Centre, Prahran

  June 15-16

  The only show at the festival where the crayons are provided, The Naked Truth is part cabaret, part art class. Armed with her ukulele, life drawing model Taryn Ryan recounts the pitfalls of her chosen profession, from cramps to crying to accidentally passing wind. Between stories, audience members are encouraged to try a little sketching, and may even get the chance to join Ryan on stage. Oh, and while it should probably go without saying, the show contains nudity — so consider yourself forewarned.

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