Paul McDermott has come to Adelaide and the Adelaide Fringe for three reasons – he is the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Ambassador; for an exhibition of his artworks at The Tuxedo Cat, The Dark Garden; and, to perform his cabaret show (although it is listed under ‘Comedy’), Paul Sings.
Over the course of 30 years in the Australian entertainment industry, McDermott has built an extensive musical repertoire. He is probably best known, musically, for his work with the Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS) and G.U.D. Some may have even seen his brief stint as Darryl Van Horn, in the Australian stage production of The Witches of Eastwick.
From the opening song, ‘Bottle’, McDermott’s distinctive voice flows over the audience like honey and it doesn’t stop through ‘Stripped’, ‘The Darkness’, ‘No Stone’, ‘Nothing’, ‘Simple Song’, ‘Palominos’, ‘All The Days’, ‘GT2012’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘Be There’.
Most powerful is the song ‘Transcendent’, dedicated to the lost friends – too many gone too soon, Paul admits – and it is quite obviously a very personal tribute, revealing a different side of Paul McDermott. His changed demeanor is reminiscent of a Marx Brothers movie moment where Chico and Harpo would play. It is in this song we see the depth of McDermott.
Paul Sings is not all singing, though; we are regaled with tales of Adelaide’s preceding heat wave and his adventures in the theatre and a hotel lift, in which he was stuck for 10 minutes. He tells of us his musical journey, from his collaborations which spawned the material to which we are being treated and his time with Marina Prior (resulting in a hilarious pseudo-sexual escapade with Paul Stanley) during The Witches of Eastwick, but neither is it comedy.
This is Paul McDermott, cabaret-style, reminiscent of Bryan Batt’s Batt on a Hot Tin Roof, a musical journey through 30 years of creative development, from a man with no formal musical training, but plenty of vocal and musical ability.
Supported by four musicians, on a simple stage, with his own designed backdrops, this is a treat for lovers of McDermott’s voice, patter and creativity. Don’t expect any GNW-style theatricality, that isn’t what this show is about. It does what it says on the box – Paul Sings (with anecdotes, of course, otherwise it just wouldn’t be Paul McDermott).
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Paul Sings
Created by Paul McDermott
Performers: Paul McDermott and band
The Arts Theatre, Adelaide
(As part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival)
5 – 16 March
Melbourne Forum Theatre
(As part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival)
9 – 20 April
Chatswood Concourse Theatre, Chatswood
(As part of the Sydney Comedy Festival)
2 May
Enmore Theatre, Newtown
(As part of the Sydney Comedy Festival)
3 May
