The show begins with Victoria Falconer, a co-creator and the musical director of the production, at a grand piano. In front of her, facing the audience, is a line of five empty chairs. She opens with a tender and haunting ballad, about spirals, and circles and never-ending circuits, and not knowing where things start and end. Then, cabaret great Paul Capsis appears on stage, hunched over in one of the chairs, wearing a black silk dress and heels. From the moment Capsis lifts his head to the audience, we are transfixed.

House of Rot: Grey Gardens is loosely inspired by the Maysles brothers’ 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, which introduced the world to Big and Little Edie, two eccentric recluses who lived in a house slowly falling in on itself. In this cabaret production, Big Edie is played by Capsis, and Little Edie by Adam Noviello.

Falconer and co-creator and director Dino Dimitriadis have created a poetic, rich, and sharp piece of work. Its power isn’t only in the scripting, which is witty and impactful, but in the music and how it is woven into the production. Original pieces sit alongside reinterpretations of contemporary classics, such as Lana Del Ray’s ‘Young and Beautiful’, The Divinyls’ ‘I Touch Myself’, and a mashup of Judy Collins’ ‘Send in The Clowns’ and ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries. Falconer’s musical talents elevate the work, whether that is at the piano, or with a violin, which marks an emotional climax in the piece.

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The casting choices are sensational, with Capsis and Noviello’s vocals and chemistry complementing each other brilliantly onstage. The decision to cast queer performers in a retelling of a story already cemented in queer folklore and culture brings a particular tenderness to the production. Over time, Grey Gardens has become a powerful symbol of outsider resilience, exclusion, and chosen family.

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Noviello is spectacular as Little Edie. The character is played with the lightness, optimism and longing that comes with youth. Further, Noviello’s voice gives the audience goosebumps. Pair this with Capsis, who is as captivating as ever in their role as a mother grappling with getting older, and the mother-daughter loved-filled, co-dependent dynamic comes to life. The characters spend their days grappling with needing each other, at the same time as needing more than just each other.

In this hour-long production, grief in various forms is brought into the spotlight. There is the grief that comes with beauty and aging, as Big Edie tapes masking tape across their face, and Little Edie bathes in the sun; the grief that comes with waiting, for people, for loved ones, for the world to get better; the grief that comes with a changing world, overstimulation and a longing for boredom; and the grief of wasted time and not being able to differentiate between the past and the present. Each one of these themes is explored with beauty and thoughtfulness.

Attention to detail in various elements of production goes a long way in House of Rot. Brockman’s lighting works seamlessly with the music and emotional peaks and troughs. A compilation of audio clips from Pauline Hanson, Donald Trump and Covid-19 announcements situate the audience in our reality today, and demonstrate that not wanting, or not being able to leave the house, is a reasonable response to this post-pandemic, cost-of-living-crisis, war-torn world.

House of Rot reckons with what it is to live a meaningful life. It examines how we cope when the world around us is falling apart. It shows that even in the depths of despair, when no place in this world feels safe, we can find hope, in music, in the family we choose, in dreaming.

House of Rot: Grey Gardens was performed at Space Theatre from June 13 – 14 as part of Adelaide Cabaret Festival