Given that it is the 50th birthday of the Adelaide Festival Theatre and the 23rd Cabfest, the 2023 iteration of this landmark Adelaide event has been an opportunity to look back.

The nine previous festival directors (seven of whom attended the Gala) have been appointed joint directors and given two acts each to attract. So, it was no surprise to see the 23 posters from all the festivals hanging on the stage as the curtain raised on the Gala.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2023 Variety Gala. Photo © Kelly Carpenter

Virginia Gay opened the show with Razzle Dazzle from Chicago and hosted thereafter. However, the seven directors on hand – Julia Zemiro, Julia Holt, Ali McGregor, Kate Ceberano, Eddie Perfect, and David and Lisa Campbell – also acted as intra-hosts, introducing each other as performers and reflecting on the festivals they directed.

Last year I praised Gala director Mitchell Butel for keeping the acts coming and the Gala moving. Unfortunately, the additional baggage of history weighed down Gala 2023. Too much oxygen was devoted to chat when the acts should have been allowed to speak for themselves. Why waste...