KABARETT HAUS MEOW MEOW’S PANDEMONIUM RUFUS WAINWRIGHT AMANDA PALMER Image: Karl Giant Image: Mark Gambino Founder Principal Partner CREDITS WELCOME TO KABARETT HAUS Perth Festival acknowledges the Noongar people who continue to practise their values, language, beliefs Kabarett Haus Designer Bruce McKinven It is a rare being who in solo performance can create Peter Rubie and knowledge on their kwobidak boodjar. Kabarett Haus Lighting Designer an electricity and connection with an audience in the hugeness of a concert hall that is both grand and genuine. When I was asked if I could bring two people for They remain the spiritual and cultural birdiyangara of this place and we honour and respect their caretakers MEOW MEOW’S PANDEMONIUM and custodians and the vital role Noongar people play for our community and our Festival to flourish. a program that celebrates the solo voice, I immediately Created & Performed by Meow Meow thought of two artists with an extraordinary sense of Conductor Iain Grandage honesty in their performance – Rufus Wainwright and Featuring Thomas M Lauderdale (piano) Amanda Palmer. West Australian Symphony Orchestra It is with great pleasure that I have curated this mini- First Violin Semra Lee-Smith, Graeme Norris, series of concerts for Perth Festival’s Kabarett Haus Stephanie Dean, Beth Hebert, Alexandra Isted, season. I am thrilled to present two artists who in their Christina Katsimbardis, Kathryn Lee, Cerys Tooby songwriting, musicianship, art, activism and lives bring Second Violin Zak Rowntree, Kylie Liang, what is for me the essence of great performance – I’m Sarah Blackman, Sunmi Jung, Lucas O’Brien, calling it ‘epic intimacy’. Rufus Wainwright and Amanda Jane Serrangeli Palmer are both in their unique ways raw, sublime, KABARETT HAUS Viola Alex Brogan, Ben Caddy, Rachael Kirk, transcendent, charismatic, urgent and real. The Helen Tuckey authenticity of these two voices will make for a profound, PERTH CONCERT HALL Cello Eve Silver, Shigeru Komatsu, Nicholas Metcalfe, beautiful and provocative experience in our concert hall. MEOW MEOW’S PANDEMONIUM | THU 20 FEB | 90MINS Tim South RUFUS WAINWRIGHT – DOWN SOLO WAINWRIGHT | FRI 21 FEB | 90MINS Double Bass Andrew Sinclair, Christine Reitzenstein, I have loved watching them both around the world. I first AMANDA PALMER – THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION | SAT 22 FEB | 4HRS INCLUDING INTERVAL Mark Tooby met Amanda in 2007 in Edinburgh and the connection Flute Andrew Nicholson, Michael Waye was immediate. She’s a brilliant songwriter and an Oboe Elizabeth Chee, Leanne Glover incredible presence. I’ve toured with her, recorded for Hear Meow Meow in conversation with Iain Grandage on Sat 22 Feb at 5.30pm at Perth Concert Hall. Clarinet Allan Meyer, Alexander Millier her and hugged her around the world, and this show she’s Bassoon Jane Kircher-Lindner, Chloe Turner bringing will be yet another singular, fascinating, complex Sat 22 Horn David Evans, Robert Gladstones, Julia Brooke, Palmer experience. Francesco Lo Surdo Amanda Palmer - There Will Be No Intermission contains adult themes Trumpet Jenna Smith, Peter Miller, Mark Underwood Rufus and I met at a party in New York a year earlier, at Trombone Joshua Davis, Thomas Gilmore, the launch of John Cameron Mitchell’s film Shortbus, Philip Holdsworth where, amongst other things, we talked about Portland Tuba Cameron Brook Oregon and we realised our connection was the divine Alex Timcke Thomas M Lauderdale. We keep meeting up as we both There is a special relationship in the performing arts between creator, performer and audience. Without any one of Timpani Brian Maloney, Francois Combemorel, tour the world, from intimate shows to watching him those elements, the ceremony of performance ceases to exist. In choosing to be here, we thank you for your act of Percussion Robyn Gray, Paul Tanner summon the stars through the roof of Royal Albert Hall. community as we celebrate the artists on the stage and the imaginations of those who have given them environments Anthony Maydwell Most recently we recorded a celebration of Edith Piaf’s to inhabit, words to embody and songs to sing. Harp Keyboard Graeme Gilling famous duet with Théo Sarapo À quoi ça sert, l’amour? for Thomas’ and my new album, Hotel Amour. Listening to Perth Festival 2020 is a celebration of us – our place and our time. It wouldn’t be the same without you. the golden-voiced Rufus record on the famous Nat King RUFUS WAINWRIGHT – DOWN SOLO WAINWRIGHT Cole mic at Capitol Records Studio in Los Angeles last Iain Grandage, year was something sublime that I shall never forget. I am Created & Performed by Rufus Wainwright Perth Festival Artistic Director so lucky to have these music makers and true friends in FOH Engineer Tony Bryan my life and I am so happy to invite them to our Festival. FANFARE Management Jörn Weisbrodt, Breakers Management and Paula Quijano, Little Empire Music We are kicking off the Kabarett Haus season with You were called to your seat tonight by ‘Match’ composed by 21-year-old UWA student Jet Kye Chong. the mayhem of Meow Meow’s Pandemonium, which Visit perthfestival.com.au for more information on the Fanfare project. premiered with the London Philharmonic Orchestra AMANDA PALMER – THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION under the guest baton of Maestro Grandage. Iain and I are LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO AFTER THE SHOW? Created & Performed by Amanda Palmer both so honoured that our friend Thomas Lauderdale, founder of the mega mini-orchestra Pink Martini – with Wind up or down and grab a drink and bite to eat with artists, friends and strangers at City of Lights. Kick back under whom I have been lucky enough to record and tour the stars to free music Thursday – Saturday. – will join us on piano for this very special symphonic extravaganza. Joy and thank you! Meow Meow Image: Magnus Hastings Image: Josep Echaburu MEOW MEOW’S PANDEMONIUM RUFUS WAINWRIGHT DOWN SOLO WAINWRIGHT Q&A WITH MEOW MEOW The Kabarett style was subversive and although the Q&A WITH RUFUS WAINWRIGHT RUFUS WAINWRIGHT BIOGRAPHY music can sometimes seem light and frivolous, the lyrics What can audiences expect from an evening with and messages are usually quite political. So you can How different is this Kabarett Haus show to a regular Praised by The New York Times for his ‘genuine Meow Meow? experience it on two levels – come for the beautiful Rufus Wainwright gig? originality’, Rufus Wainwright has established himself Orchestrated chaos! What I love about this show is that music, stay for the important message. You can also get A little more theatrical than usual I suppose, though I’m as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters and it’s exquisite music performed with a full orchestra but away with things a lot more when you’re presenting them pretty dramatic to start with. Look out! composers of his generation. The New York-born, it’s full of madness and mayhem. It’s a great balance with music, and with a laugh! Montreal-raised singer songwriter has released seven of exquisite beauty and wildness. It’s comedy and Does performing on an evening between concerts by studio albums to date with, three DVDs and three live shenanigans and manages to be very playful while also Why did you decide to perform this show with an Meow Meow and Amanda Palmer help you make certain albums, including the fantastic Grammy nominated being topical and political. orchestra? repertoire choices? Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. Musically Wainwright It was originally Thomas Lauderdale’s suggestion – I’ve been both a fan and a friend to these two amazing has collaborated with artists including Elton John, Burt It’s incredible how relevant the politics of this music from to take what is traditionally an intimate, club-style Bacharach, Robert Wilson, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni the 1920s still is. What I love about the Weimar period is gals over the years and they always up the ante. I am performance and to perform it with the full weight looking forward to trying to at least match them. Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Robbie Williams, Jessye the collision of musical and linguistic experimentation. of a symphony orchestra. And I tell you, it’s a magical Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting and producer On the one hand you’re experiencing intense drama and experience. It will feel like the roof is coming off the Who or what has been the biggest inspiration for your Mark Ronson among many others. He has made a name on the other there’ll be a novelty song. Concert Hall. There’s something so powerful about work? for himself in the classical music world with his much For this program I’m performing music from the 1920s people experiencing a live music event together – being Being brought up surrounded by serious old school folk acclaimed first opera, Prima Donna, premiering at the – songs from artist like Kurt Weill, Piazzolla, Brecht – present, in the moment rather than watching something music definitely laid the groundwork for my foundations. Manchester International Festival in July 2009 and being but also more contemporary works. There’s Megan on a screen. Later discovering opera infused my work with colours I performed in London, New York, Paris, Buenos Aires still dream about. Sprinkle in a little Annie Lennox, Prince and Hong Kong. His second opera based on the story of Washington, Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees, all given the To be able to perform this show with Thomas Lauderdale Meow Meow extreme cabaret touch of course! and Sonic Youth and we have an interesting mix. the Roman Emperor Hadrian and Antinous premiered and Iain Grandage – two of my dearest friends as well in October 2018 at the Canadian Opera Company in What first drew you to cabaret and in particular the as special musical collaborators will make this a truly Your work is quite diverse – even extending into opera.