Tel LA Novela | Downstairs at the Maj | Until Feb 18 | ★ ★ ★ ★
ACE’S Cabaret keeps on delivering exceptional entertainment to Perth’s late night audiences throughout the Fringe Festival on the underground stage at ACE’S Cabaret Downstairs at His Majesty’s Theatre.
Everything sounds better in Spanish and the occasional mock Aussie accent. Zac delivers a worthy performance of song sung in both English and Spanish with a story surrounding love affairs, reaching for the stars, hot Latino men, a peculiar and very Los Angeles-centric gay scene with lashings of late night cheesy snacks and the occasional pavlova to remind us of what makes Australia unique.
The story of a boy from Broome with early warning signs there was more to be had out of life, so he sets his sights on the bright lights of the big city Perth; well it is bigger than Broome. Perth is not as big as imagined so, he decides L.A. the City of Angels specifically West Hollywood is a more appropriate place to live the dream.
L.A. is also totally the gayest city in the world; a fantasy land filled with glitz glamour, preened pumped up and overly tanned gays; an acquired taste.
The culture in L.A. has an undercurrent Latino rhythmic beat. The of Spanish language winds its way through the everyday L.A. life and Zacs singing of some Australian classic songs onstage at ACE’S Cabaret.
Zac narrates a love affair between a boy from Broome and a hot Latino lover, a romance where life seems perfect, the perfect house, the perfect looking hot Latino boyfriend, two dogs; nearly living the dream. Though waiting for stardom to arrive seems like just a dream and reality is reflected in your bank balance. Like so many fresh creatives trying to reach stardom, a side job or two is required to survive this expensive mecca. Who cares, this is living the American dream.
The narrative is centrally about relationships, relationships with song, language, family, love of oneself and hot Latino men. As many people who have lived a life will know, relationships aren’t always the perfect fantasy we are told to believe in, sometimes there is a discord which makes our alarm bells go off and we either fight or flight.
When one loves Latino men who are stereotypically known for their passion and don’t do things by half, this fiery passion can manifest itself into the darker aspects of love into jealousy and rage; LOVE can make you crazy. Though you don’t need to come from any particular cultural background to experience this; these are aspects of the human condition.
While Trump wants to build a wall, domestic violence will create its own wall and one is left stranded with no home, no passport and no idea of how they got into this mess. From hot mess express to single again trying to fit into the L.A. single gay scene of 0% body fat while desiring cheesy filled late night snacks.
Zac’s delivery of song sung in both English and Spanish is inventive. Sometimes the harmony and melody of a song resonate through your body sung in any language, performed well we experience a remarkable Spanish version of the classic Aussie anthem, Flame Trees by Cold Chisel performed with a Spanish twist.
Tel LA Novela performed by Zac Gower is for song lovers of all persuasions. The venue is perfect for a late night drink and food with live cabaret during this season.
Take yourself down and have a listen to this mix of Latino beats with an Aussie twist at ACE’S Cabaret Downstairs at The Maj, until 18th Feb 2017 at 7.30pm each night and check the Fringe World page for the remaining season of more cabaret from outstanding performers.
Guy Gomeze
