Electrifying cult musical in historic theatre at Adelaide Festival
Adelaide comes alive with festival fever highlighted by the Adelaide Festival which this year featured more than 60 productions.
IN a quiet laneway in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD sits the historic Queen’s Theatre, built in 1841 by Jewish ex-convicts, Emanuel Solomon and his brother Vaiben.
It wasn’t the first theatre built in the early days of settlement – that honour belongs to Hobart’s Theatre Royal – but in the young colony of South Australia which was only established five years earlier, it was a major venture that cost 10,000 pounds and had seating for 1000 patrons.
The Solomon brothers were born in London, arrested in 1817 for larceny and sentenced to seven years transportation. They arrived in Sydney in 1818 and after serving their sentences, became successful merchants.
In 1835 Emanuel bought a share in a South Australian land grant and moved to Adelaide in 1838 to become a property developer. In 1848 he became one of the founders of the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation.
The Queen’s Theatre – which today stands sandwiched between apartment tower blocks – had a chequered life. In 1850 it was remodelled with a new Georgian facade and became the Royal Victoria Theatre.
A year later it closed and over the next century the building had a variety of non-theatrical uses including as a warehouse, factory and showroom.
In the 1980s the South Australian Government bought the property and transferred it to Heritage SA. In 1996 it reopened as the Queen’s Theatre with strict conditions to protect its heritage.
For this year’s Adelaide Festival, a new Australian production of the Tony Award-winning musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened at the Queen’s Theatre on February 26 and runs until March 15.
In the intimate theatre the audience is close to Hedwig (Seann Miley Moore) who shares the small stage with his wife, a Croatian Jewish drag queen named Yitzhak (Adam Noviello) and a four-member rock band.
Moore’s explosive energy and charisma shines through as Hedwig’s story of survival unfolds. Born in East Berlin before the fall of the Wall as Hansel, the singer dreams of stardom in the United States.
However, life descends into a downward spiral after a botched sex-change operation and former lover Tommy Gnosis steals her songs and becomes a pop star.
John Cameron Mitchell (text) and Stephen Trask (music and lyrics) created a cult musical which won the 2014 Tony Award for best revival of a musical.
There’s plenty of angst in the powerful numbers, and Moore (who starred in Miss Saigon as the Engineer in the 2023 touring production) delivers with a powerful voice and imposing stage presence.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch relies heavily on the charisma of its star – and succeeds admirably.
Noviello also gets an opportunity to showcase his singing and acting talents.
Also in cast, as off-stage cover, is Sydney actor Amy Hack, who recently starred in Kadimah’s production of Yentl.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch will be staged in Melbourne at the Athenaeum Theatre as part of the Rising festival from June 12, with a Sydney season to be announced later this year.
When it comes to hotel accommodation during the Adelaide Festival, the Sofitel Adelaide is one of the festival’s official 2025 preferred hotels and situated only a 100-metre walk from the Queen’s Theatre.
The five-star hotel has a range of rooms and suites, a French style restaurant Garcon Bleu, a gym and an indoor heated swimming pool adorned with chandeliers.
If you want to relax in a bath while enjoying sweeping city views from your hotel room, check out the spacious rooms on the upper-level floors. The bath is part of the bathroom situated just metres from a king-size bed, and sliding panels can enclose it if you prefer privacy. Of course, there’s also a large walk-in shower with a choice of overhead or hand-held showers.
Thoughtful design features include plentiful power points, full-length mirrors, coffee-making facilities, a large smart TV, pillow menu and curtains that open at the press of a power button.
Another of the festival’s 2025 official preferred hotels is Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets, situated only a few minutes’ walk from the popular market and Her Majesty’s Theatre where a variety of Adelaide Festival shows are staged each year.
The boutique hotel opened in 2021 and has 145 rooms featuring modern decor, rooftop bar, fitness centre and heated outdoor pool.
As soon as you walk into the hotel in Market Street, most of the lobby area is taken up with an open-plan dining area adjoining a bar and restaurant, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Its red brick archways were inspired by the traditional brickwork in historic buildings of the market precinct, especially Adelaide Central Market’s grand facade.
Colourful artworks are a signature theme of Hotel Indigo and include posters from past festivals to add colour and history to the hotel’s public areas and rooms.
Rooms range from the standard king or twin to suites on the higher floors, with some having balconies. There is also a three-bedroom executive apartment for larger groups or families.
Step outside the hotel into a vibrant area of cafes and restaurants that fan out from the Adelaide Central Market, open from Tuesday to Saturday and bustling with more than 70 stalls.
The fresh produce market was established in 1869 and today it is South Australia’s most visited tourist attraction.
For locals there’s fresh produce, while tourists can dine at cafes, delis and food stalls and enjoy cakes, sweets and other delicacies.
Opposite the market’s Grote Street entrance is Her Majesty’s Theatre, which re-opened in 2020 after a $66 million restoration that blended elements of the original 1913 design with modern facilities and increased capacity to almost 1500 seats.
At Adelaide Festival time the theatre hosts a variety of shows and I saw Irish singer Camille O’Sullivan in her concert, Loveletter, where she pays tribute to her friends Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan.
Although only a short two-night season for the festival, she mixed madcap humour with passion and had plenty of fans in the audience singing along.
And her two-hour opening night show, which included songs made famous by Nick Cave, David Bowie, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, continued for a further 30 minutes, much to everyone’s delight.
The Adelaide Festival runs until March 16 and next year’s festival will be held from February 27 to March 15.
comments