A toe-tappin’ and feather-flappin’ extravaganza!

Candy Shop Show Australia are now in their eleventh year of operation and are thrilled to once again be
presenting at Anywhere Festival Brisbane and Noosa. SPEAKEASY is their fourth full-length touring production and it’s like coming full circle, as their first tour in 2015 (The Jazz Age Dance Cabaret) was also part of Anywhere Festival Mackay. Since 2015 they have toured to countless locations across six states, bringing their cheeky brand of cabaret to regional Australia!

SPEAKEASY is a cabaret with a difference, it is a nod to the past with the glam of the present! Created during the pandemic with rehearsals partially on Zoom, the production constantly evolved as the team navigated Covid rules and restrictions. What remains a constant is the thrilling number of sequins, feathers and glorious music from the twenties and thirties!

Hosted by four fabulous flappers, SPEAKEASY flips between the past and present with a plethora of dad jokes and one-liners. “Curating the script for this show was a hoot,” said Director Jenny Usher. “I had fun writing and collecting jokes from friends and family and adapting them to fit the story. You actually don’t realise how funny everyone is until you start pinching their jokes!”

“One of the other glorious parts of the process is of course selecting all the music. Much of the well-known swing and big band standards came from music that was written and recorded in the twenties,” says Usher. “Some of the music is so special to me as my late grandfather would sing to me and play the piano. All the music in my show holds a really special place in my heart.”

WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM THE PRODUCTION?
SPEAKEASY will travel to around 13 venues this year across the country and the team has had such fun
adapting it to fit into the unique venues in Brisbane and Noosa for Anywhere Festival.
In Noosa, the show will feature in a glorious modern/retro cocktail bar, and in Brisbane it will sparkle in a black box style venue, in a new arts precinct in the Valley.

This show has something for everyone. Bring your mum, brother, grandparents, colleagues, neighbours and all your friends, because rest assured there will be huge smiles all round. You can expect plenty of costumes, high-energy dancing and beautiful harmonies all set to a soundtrack from
the nineteen-twenties and thirties. It’s time to tap those toes and flap those feathers for a glorious adventure to a time where the drinks were cooled and jazz music ruled!

ABOUT THE SHOW
Darrrrlings… Haven’t you heard? It’s the Roaring 20’s again and you’re invited to sign our dance cards and join us for a fabulous night of jazz, charleston and prohibition-style giggle water with the hotsy-totsy cast of SPEAKEASY!

SPEAKEASY is a journey through the jazz age when liquor was banned, jazz music was rife and dancing was all that mattered. Featuring live vocals, beautiful harmonies and fabulous flappers set to an authentic soundtrack from artists like Glenn Miller, Fred Astaire, Duke Ellington + many, many more, this lively nod to the past will set your soul alight.

Make whoopee with us but shhhhh… chill out and speak easy…. And only bring your most fabulous friends to this glorious extravaganza, lickety split!

ROTATING CAST:
Jenny Usher – Director/Producer/Writer/Choreographer/Dancer/Vocalist
Lizzie Moore – Solo vocalist
Natalie Renouf – Dancer/Vocalist
Gabriella Dennien – Dancer/Vocalist
Jennifer Ashley – Dancer/Vocalist
Stacey de Waard – Dancer/Vocalist
Samantha Paterson – Vocal Coach
Lucy Kelland – Stage Manager
Teegan Kranenburg – Stage Manager

CONTACT:
Jenny Usher | Director/Producer
jenny@candyshopshow.net | www.candyshopshow.net
0451 089 720

All tickets available via Anywhere Festival https://anywhere.is/