Festival Statesmen Chorus ~ A Cappella Time Warp ~ Adelaide Cabaret Festival ~ Review

[Cabaret.       Live Music.         SA] Dunstan Playhouse - Adelaide Festival Centre.    Sat 21 June Festival Statesmen Chorus formed in Adelaide in 2009 as a male choir whose repertoire spans from classical to pop music covers. They have won international choir competitions and can have up to 30 voices on stage. For their debut performance at a Cabaret Festival they have pared back to 10 voices and have chosen a repertoire of upbeat pop ballads. Tonight’s performance is light hearted but the sound is rich and cleverly arranged to showcase individual singers as well as the depth and complexity of their harmonizing. They open strongly with Icehouse’s Electric Blue. The choreography may be slightly awkward but the singing is snappy and precise. The show is entitled A Cappella Time Warp and in line with this idea they follow with a tightly blended barbershop rendition of the 1950s Steve Allen pop ballad This Could Be The Start Of Something Big. There is no doubt these men know their craft. In line with the Time Warp idea a few historical facts thrown in about the era in which a particular song was released help give the show some structure while also adding interest and making each choice memorable. A reference to the opening of Adelaide’s O-Bahn as a segue to The Choirboys’ Run To Paradise gets lots of laughs. But after a reference to the Berlin Wall coming down in the same year as Taylor Swift was born (“Any significance?”) the concept is dropped and we just get the songs. The coats and ties come off to camp it up with some slightly cheesy antics to accompany their rendition of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, possibly some distance away from the more sacred songs for which they are known. Their arrangement of Ronan Keating’s When You Say Nothing At All is more of a highlight. The audience tonight are here to enjoy, and really clap and sing along when invited. Clearly the musical direction taken tonight is in sync with audience expectations. At night’s end there is a standing ovation and even an encore. This is an energetic show by skilled musicians. The nostalgia button for commercial radio hits is turned up high and the vibes are tuned to fun. Some variety of mood in the song selection would enhance the show for me however, as an element of ‘sameness’ creeps in. I can only imagine how that blend of voices could augment a haunting or melancholy pop melody or two. 3.5 Stars Catherine Tune This was the only performance of Festival Statesmen Chorus A Cappella Time Warp in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2025. #theclothesline