Comedians On Stage Auditioning for Musicals @ Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide 20/6/2025
Welcome to the weirdest, most chaotic cattle call you’ll ever love.
Now in its third sold-out year at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Comedians On Stage Auditioning for Musicals is part fever dream, part feverishly divine. Hosted by the inimitable Michelle Brasier (Aunty Donna, Thank God You’re Here), it was like one long inside joke that everyone was in on.
Brasier shared the stage with her emotionally entangled ex-ex-ex-husband. The delightfully deadpan Ben Russell (Thank God You’re Here) appeared to have wandered out of an Eastern European arthouse film and never left. Together, they served as gatekeepers to the most questionable community theatre production that has never been staged.
With a rotating lineup of comedic talent auditioning for roles in service of the Wagga Wagga Community Theatre Repertory’s upcoming performance of Cats, the rules were loose. The stakes were fake. But the commitment? Olympic-level.
With music by pianist Gillian Cosgriff, Yoz Mensch kicked things off with Starlight Express, channelling all the steam and sparkle of the legendary locomotive. The audience was on board from the first whistle, earning him a callback.
Alex De Porteous brought funky, jazzy vibes with Liza Minnelli’s I Gotcha. In the first of two Liza numbers, De Porteous’s sultry swagger and cheeky flair with va-va-va-voom backing dancers (Lizzy Baker and Gemma Dawes) made the crowd sit up and take notice. Cue the callback bell.
Trevor Jones stole the show with One Day More from Les Misérables, performing with a cast of gingerbread people as his backup ensemble. It was ridiculous, innovative, and unforgettable. Another callback was locked in.
Then came Reuben Kaye. With bravado only he could muster, Kaye sang the haunting opening line from I Dreamed a Dream…before being cut. No callback here.
Elouise Eftos brought sass and style, singing Mein Herr from Cabaret, dripping with German flair and attitude. Even with Russell’s (un)helpful microphone holding, the callback bell chimed again.
Zachary Ruane finished strong with a boldly sublime and theatrical take on Welcome to the Black Parade (My Chemical Romance). Transforming the emo anthem into a Les Mis cabaret spectacle was another callback to his name.
Not to be outdone by the comedians on stage auditioning for musicals, Cosgriff glittered in her own right. An energetic group number with Brasier and Russell of You’ll Be Back (Hamilton) had everyone gleefully da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da-ing away.
Comedians On Stage Auditioning for Musicals is cabaret at its most gloriously absurd. A cabaret cult hit for a reason; it’s a dazzling mess of pure chaotic energy and laughs.
Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review By Anita Kertes
Photo Credit: Claudio Raschella