Resplendent in a shimmering red and gold suit (the first of many costume changes with several nods to Rags to Riches, the Festival Centre Gallery exhibition), host Reuben Kaye arrives onstage on the shoulders of his four pink-shorted, rainbow-socked ‘rugby sharks’. The image said it all – we were in for a wild and unpredictable ride. Compiling this year’s festival program was a labour of love for Kaye, who gave great credit to Adelaide for the city’s role in the development of his career. Across two acts, the 2026 Variety Gala featured 12 performances that each connected to the festival’s theme of ‘delicious revolution’.

Bettie Bombshell kicked off the evening with a hilarious and highly accomplished striptease, all black velvet vamp and quivering buttocks. Bettie will be hosting A Night of Burlesque, a handpicked selection of performers from across Australia, inviting us into a ‘world dripping with glamour and decadence’.
Next, in an abrupt change of pace and tone, classically trained pianist and ‘unhinged musical comic’ Dylan Adler’s country ballad took us on tour to a zero-horse town in Kentucky, looking for (and finding) some heart in the heartland of a United States in turmoil.

Soaring vocals were the evening’s strongest thread, with inspiring performances from Tara Tiba, Vidya Makan and Baylie Carson offering contrasting but equally impressive performance styles – all glimpses into what promise to be shows rich with depth and emotion.

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Aria-nominated Tiba blends traditional Persian music and poetry in her songs of hope, resilience and transformation. She has released several albums since moving to Australia, after being denied the right to perform publicly in her homeland of Iran. Makan’s work-in-progress showing of Light blends Bhangra with English-language lyrical storytelling to celebrate the South Asian diaspora experience via the challenges of family life in the Australian suburbs. Through story and song, Baylie Carson is Handsome(ish) reveals a queer journey of self-discovery, holding a mirror up to why we live the way we do. In their ‘love letter to becoming’, Carson offers an experience they hope audiences will find authentic. The show is a Frank Ford Commission – a legacy of the much-missed Adelaide Cabaret Festival founder.

There was plenty of ribald mayhem, too. “Cuckoo banana-pants” Tabitha Booth (the alter ego of Frankie McNair) employed two tiny martini glasses to prove she invented a famous stage act. McNair, with fellow performer Isaac Haigh, stars in The Booth Variety Spectacular & Formal Apology Hour!, an “immersive alt-comedy spectacular” that pits a late-night-TV queen with a fresh-faced newcomer. Em Rusciano, 100% “totally not chill”, treated us to a brutal analysis of single life with her X-rated version of Addicted to Love. She’s very much single, and she wants us all to know (her latex-look ballgown adorned with stuffed love hearts was a bit of a giveaway.)

Ripping off The Price is Right, Gillian Cosgriff wrangled some audience participation as a promo for There Is Nothing Like A Game!, her late-night, think-fast shows combining guest stars and live music with quizzes, puzzles and other interactive frivolities. Nipple tassels featured prominently throughout the gala evening, as did strategically placed ponytail microphone accessories, including one protecting our host’s sense of dignity (and not much more) in one exquisitely funny display of comic timing.

Some truly magnificent performances stole the show, though, with goose-bump-inducing spots from Javon King, Mahalia Barnes and Ursula Yovich. Barnes earned a standing ovation at the end of Act 1 for her ‘blow the roof off’ Bette Midler/Janis Joplin medley. Her show highlights the work of female rock-n-roll singers of the 1960s via The Rose, Midler’s iconic soundtrack, as well as other hits exploring heartache and rebellion. King, who recently starred as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, will join Kaye, Barnes and other cast members for a behind-the-scenes look at the Australian production of the musical, a version that sadly didn’t make it to Adelaide.

After a mesmerising, impassioned performance of Nina Simone’s ‘Four Women’, Ursula Yovich was named as this year’s Cabaret Icon. In her words of acceptance, the award-winning actor, writer, director, singer, songwriter and storyteller acknowledged the people behind every artist’s work.

An ensemble finale of the Talking Heads classic Burning Down the House was a punchy full-stop to another fabulous Cab Fest Gala.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs from June 4 to June 21