All That Glitters: The Gala Night:
This show has become an annual fixture, a kind of taster, if you will, for some of the shows coming to the festival. As with last year, the effervescent and cheeky Luke Bird hosted. He has a flair for comedy and his larger-than-life personality keeps up the energy all night.
First up was Australian Tomáš Kantor who presented a couple of songs and some camp banter about his love life taken from his show Sugar. He has one hell of a powerful voice with a mighty falsetto and his charisma and cheeky charm were great to witness.
The Velvet Lounge consisted of two burlesque dancers, Michelle Kasey and Kiki Kisses, performing two separate dance routines, one sexy, the other deliciously funny.
They were both on form and glam, but what made the duo really pop was the live music. The band were fantastic and I have to give special mention to singer Dillon Rhodes who gave one of the best live vocal performances I have ever heard!
Honestly, I could have listened to him and the band all night!
Queens from Auckland’s drag venue Caluzzi delivered a fab routine to the song It’s Raining Men and Anita Wiglit finished their slot with a very funny and self-deprecating stand-up routine and a high-energy rendition of You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray.
The very powerful voice of Singaporean songstress and self named karaoke queen Amanda Grace Leo delivered a lullaby and some personal memories.
The final act of the night was Simply Brill, a trio of Aussie cabaret singers – Amelia Ryan, Michaela Burger, and Michael Griffiths who, accompanied by a live band, sang some powerful hits including On Broadway and Da Doo Ron Ron.
This one-hour show was so packed it ran 25 minutes over time, but it was a night of talent and great entertainment.
Cheeky Cabaret:
This cabaret show was created by the same people who brought us La Clique last year and it contained the type of high-caliber acts you’d expect to see. It was rated R18 and I can explain why shortly. The lineup included soaring vocals, an incredible juggler who managed to take off his clothes while in the middle of his act, a charming tap dancer, a beautiful high-ropes cirque routine, and some sword swallowing that was not for those with a gag reflex.
On the burlesque side of things, there were a couple of naughty striptease routines and a fascinating and intriguing dance to Paloma Faith’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This. But by far the funniest and show-stealing routine was by an 71-year-old performer called Picasso. I’m sure he was the one who earned that R18 rating by stripping naked and painting the portrait of an audience member using his penis instead of a paintbrush. This was one hysterically brilliant performance that rightly brought the audience to its feet.
This double bill was a perfect introduction to a season of cabaret that shouldn’t be missed. Get out there and enjoy it.
Auckland Live Cabaret Festival 2026 24 June – 5 July 2026
