Cabaret stars in quarantine: What good is sitting alone in your room?
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival artistic director and his fellow international artists have given a sneak peek into their lives in hotel quarantine.
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Life is a quarantine, old chum – and international stars of the upcoming Adelaide Cabaret Festival are making the most of their time in hotel isolation.
Scottish-American artistic director Alan Cumming, his US musical director Henry Koperski, Serbian-Australian actress Bojana Novakovic and New York vocalist Amber Martin shared some selfies of how they are warming up for this year’s event.
“I am trying to be very fruitful and creative,” said Cumming, who has also spent some time sunning himself on his balcony at an Adelaide quarantine hotel.
“I have lots of plans to read lots of stuff, work, do lots of my podcasts.”
Cumming, who will perform his new one-man show and host his own late-night variety club, wasn’t sure what his “biggest desire” would be once he leaves quarantine.
“It might be to have a drink because I’m going to try and have a dry quarantine and use it not just to be creative but also to have a bit of a cleanse.
“No booze, I’m doing lots of exercising and weights and everything so I think probably a delicious glass of South Australian wine might be the thing.
“I’m also keen to walk around the streets and see nobody wearing a mask. My biggest thing is to walk into a bar.”
Martin, who will perform her Bette Midler tribute Bathhouse Bette as part of a national tour, joined Cumming and Koperski by Zoom from their rooms to watch the Eurovision Song Contest.
“It was my first time to see it and now, I’ll never not watch it. Thanks Alan,” Martin said.
Novakovic, who will perform improvised experiment The Blind Date Project, has been working extensively in the US on films including Malicious and Birds of Prey, and co-starred with Cumming on the TV series Instinct.
She has also been catching some rays, is “completely obsessed” with researching bees, and has developed a quarantine beauty routine with “an organic mask that tightens everything”.
Composer and musician Koperski has turned to books to help pass the days.
“I’ve been reading non-stop,” he said. “Currently reading Death’s End by Cixin Liu.”
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival opens on June 11 with its sold-out Variety Gala and runs until June 26.
Full program and tickets at adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au