The Chillie Files at the Adelaide Fringe Festival
Performing to a sell out crowd at the Queens Arms Hotel in Wright Street, in the heart of the city, these three ‘chillies’ are just electrifying. The hotel was a pleasant surprise having undergone some renovations to create a great venue for a show of this kind. The Annex gets its name from being an extension of the main hotel with easy access both in and out. The room is huge with a bar at the rear which ensures you will not miss anything whilst refilling your glass.
The stage is well lit with eye-catching red velvet curtains as a back drop. The sell out crowd was eagerly awaiting the start with a buzz of anticipation. We were not disappointed.
Showcasing some of the biggest and best hits of the 80’s sung to perfection despite the early sound mishaps. The story is a somewhat clichéd one with the ‘nerdy’ girl (Maria) played by Rose Senesi, in love with the ‘cool’ guy (Hernando) and her transformation which culminates in a happy ending, think Danny & Sandy in Grease.
The voices of these three ladies are definitely worth hearing. Rose has an amazing singing voice, one you never tire of as she has such a varied range. She can belt out a ballad Hopelessly Devoted To You, and then be a savvy rock chick I Want To Break Free with an awesome rendition of Dolly Parton’s Nine To Five thrown in. She is energetic, feisty and funny!
Kelly O’Brien (Sveta) who plays Maria’s sassy friend has the voice of an opera singer. Although I am not a fan of Opera, her voice was breathtaking. Her all-round performance was polished and together with that amazing voice and her quirky humour entertained the audience easily.
Oriana Benetti who is the narrator, is a ball of energy with yet another great voice together with some fabulous 80’s dance moves whilst getting “physical” with a grateful member of the audience.
Vince Perotta, the only male amongst these gorgeous gals is the perfect complement to their voices. His smooth and sexy rendition of Love Me Tonight had many females in the audience gasping!
This energetic and vibrant show is well worth seeing, for evidence of this you need look no further than the full house of appreciative faces in the audience. For this critic, the only disappointment was when it was over!
Singularly any one of the ‘Chillies’ could be a successful performer, collectively they can be stars.
The Three Chillies Theatre Company is the brain child of Rosanna Senesi, who at the age of thirty two embarked on a lifelong dream to perform in musical theatre.
A local pro-am theatre company held auditions for a show called Destination Broadway, where she landed a role… singing and dancing her way through the entire three month rehearsal schedule followed up by an intense three week season at the Union Theatre (Adelaide University). Rosanna (better known to her friends as Rose) hadn’t stepped onto a stage since she was 16. Again, like in her teens, she was hooked.
It was during the rehearsals for Destination Broadway that Rose met Oriana Forte (now Binetti) and Kelly O’Brien. Having that much talent around Rose seemed to be a dream, and she decided to launch her own theatre company ‘Three Chillies’ at the age of thirty three, collaborating and writing an ‘all women’ shows with both Oriana and Kelly.
The Chillie Files at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, playing at the Queens Arms Hotel in Wright Street
