CABARET A Talent to Amuse: John Michael Swinbank, Fringe Club, March 17-20.
POKING fun at himself in his lively tribute to Noel Coward, cabaret entertainer John Michael Swinbank quipped ''If Noel Coward were alive today, he would roll over in his grave''. Such comments rolled off the acerbic tongue of the Perth-based alter ego of Noel Coward.
The largely expatriate audience responded heartily to Swinbank's revamped show which was premiered in the same theatre three years ago. Although not large, the crowd welcomed Swinbank and pianist Marie Sermon.
Dressed in black dinner jacket, a red carnation jauntily set in the buttonhole, Swinbank began the show with the popular There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner to a round of sniggers and guffaws. The song seemed apt for the recession-ridden unstable times. Coward's lyric ''can't see democracy and don't care'' particularly seemed relevant to the territory.
Swinbank was so comfortable as Coward's companion, that the line between Cowardisms and Swinbank patter was difficult to distinguish. His twisted platitudes and cliches could have easily come from the deceased entertainer.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen went down well, as would be expected, while the taunting Why Must the Show Go On? saw Swinbank come to life. After the interval, Swinbank returned as an inebriated Coward, and launched into a rousing rendition of I've Been to a Marvellous Party, Alice Is At It Again, The Stately Homes of England and I Wonder What Happened To Him all received their fair share of applause.