By Lia Cocks
Cabaret is not like anything else.
Packed in like sardines, up close and personal, audience interaction. It’s not everyone's cup of tea. But if you want to experience cabaret, there is no better introduction than Michael Griffiths.
A seasoned performer, musical theatre trained, Helpmann Award winner, Michael brings his vivacious personality and captivating voice to Le Cascadeur at The Garden of Unearthly Delights with his show, Michael Griffiths: By Request.
He delighted us with Sweet Dreams, In Vogue, Adolescent and Lucky. Blew us away with his Cole Porter tribute show and now brings all his favourites back for a rollicking rendition, this time with a band (the very talented Felicity on bass and Josh on drums).
A casual but exuberant atmosphere, we are taken back to the 70’s and ABBA with Knowing Me, Knowing You, and here Michael explains his love affair with music began. He talks about his very first concert experience with his dad, seeing A-ha, which was the segue to Take on Me.
Other favourites from Peter Allen, Barry Manilow, Queen (so hot right now), Elton John and Kylie Minogue formed the backbone of the show, while his medley of requests was an improvisational display of his incredible abilities to Google a range of songs, arrange them and sing them ON THE SPOT. Whether this was intentional or not - it was prodigious. Absolutely loved it!
He flaunted his usual charisma and charm, backed by his remarkable piano skills and staggering vocal prowess to bring a highly entertaining and enthusiastic night out.
Make sure you hit him up on all the socials to get your requests in - you just never know if your song will make the cut! Mine did!
All opinions and thoughts expressed within reviews on Theatre Travels are those of the writer and not of the company at large.