Still Awake Still: Mischievous Cabaret For Kids – Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review

Dunstan Playhouse, Sat Jun 14 Our beautiful, red-gowned Miss Ivory Tinklefinger, Queen of Sleep, is in big trouble. A big booming voice from the sky and beyond is not happy that many children have not succumbed to her magical and lyrical crooning as she sings her beautiful lullaby. Somewhat perturbed and eccentrically engaging, she drags her pet piano stool around the stage back into position to try and get some sleepy heads in the audience, which she continuously checks out with her pin light torch. Trilling, cooing and singing, she creates a magical array of twittery noises, which alone entertain the children, and makes the adults giggle. Her magical piano, however, has other surprises in store, with various creatures emerging from its depths through the show. A mysterious bear looms beneath, two cheeky men and a plethora of sea creatures, disco balls, ping pong balls and even a double bass. With an ethereal setting, magically lit as though we were all sitting amongst the moonbeams, Miss Ticklefinger enthrals the audience with her strangely beautiful and plaintive attempts to send us all to ‘noddy land’. Interrupted by our two naughty friends, the trio sing random short and very entertaining harmonies and even partake in a piano trio. A particular favourite is the Mexican song sung cheekily as the men climb all over the piano. Musically, the three are very tight, fluid and extremely animated. The lighting is such that wherever you are seated you would be hard pressed to not feel involved in every capacity and see every single wink and smile offered to us all. Theirs is a polished and well-rehearsed show, with excellent stage production and a clever array of surprises in store for those watching the mayhem unfold. The story line is simple, the occurrences bizarre yet beautiful and simplistic. I find myself wishing I was in bed and able to be floating in the ‘blue neverland’ we inhabit for 50 minutes of the afternoon. A lovely show that will suit the whole family. by Siân Williams Still Awake Still continues at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, until Sun Jun 15.