To the hedonistic tunes of perpetual anthems like Ain’t No Body (Chaka Khan and Rufus), It’s Raining Men (The Weather Girls) and Born to Be Alive (Patrick Hernandez) Velvet Rewired pays homage to disco greats and New York’s Studio 54, the infamous club synonymous with a celebration of cultural acceptance, glitter and disco.
First time 'round it was our favourite disco diva Marcia Hines (Jesus Christ Superstar, HAIR) that called us to Velvet and Marcia was as anticipated and as always fab-u-lous! And this December she reprises her role in the Sydney Opera House Studio for Velvet Rewired.
Premiering at the 2020 Adelaide Fringe festival to glowing reviews, Velvet Rewired continues the story of a young man on his path to self-discovery as he returns to the club seeking redemption. Led by the fearlessly fabulous Marcia Hines, Craig Reid (La Clique, La Soirée) returns as the incredible “Hula Boy” and Joe Accaria (Once, Dream Lover) as the DJ and mix-master. Rounding out the cast is performer and TV presenter Tom Sharah (It’s Raining Me, I Will Survive on Channel 10) as “Country Mike”, Dutch skating duo Pierre and Stef The Skating Willers (La Clique), London based aerialist Beau Sargent (JPG Fashion Freak Show), aerialist Harley Timmermans (Babylon), and the vocal power of Jacinta Gulisano (The Voice 2018) and Sasha Lee Saunders as the “Sirens”.
Directed by Craig Ilott (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Love Song), Velvet Rewired is a seamless integration of acrobatics, aerialists and vocalists who deliver a performance drenched in high energy and dizzying nostalgia. Ilott directed the original Velvet that premiered at the Opera House in 2015. Velvet has left behind glitter and good vibes after more than 1200 performances in some of the world’s biggest fringe festivals including Adelaide and Edinburgh, in cruise ships in the Caribbean, and theatres in Germany, France and Italy. The creative team is completed by Amy Campbell (Choreographer), James Browne (Set and Costume Designer) and Matthew Marshall (Lighting Designer)
General Public tickets go on sale this Friday 5 August.
