By Helen Musa

The cult horror-comedy with the enticing title, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, is coming to the Mill Theatre in early October.

With lyrics by Jeff Blim and a book by Nick and Matt Lang, the story revolves around Paul, an average bloke who “doesn’t like musicals”, as the citizens of his town are gradually overcome by an alien mind that makes them sing and dance as if they are in a musical. 

It is very loosely inspired by the 1956 horror film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

This production by Youth Cabaret is the brainchild of Canberra performer/producer Florian Kai, who had looked around after the covid lockdowns, it was a troubling scene.

Many of the young people in the orbit of Kai’s youngest child, Krys, were talented, creative and desperate to perform, but they were spending most of their time online and struggling to find opportunities for face-to-face social connection. 

Many were neurodivergent too, finding it difficult to get or keep work and missing out on the performing arts experiences that earlier generations had enjoyed through school musicals, drama productions and events such as the Rock Eisteddfod or the Schools Dance Festival.

Out of that concern came Youth Cabaret, a free community-based theatre group aimed at neurodiverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ young people, as well as anyone who felt they didn’t fit comfortably into mainstream youth culture. 

The idea was simple: get young people out of their bedrooms, away from their devices and working together on live performance.

Kai brought decades of experience to the venture, having grown up in Stagecoach Theatre and PITS Production with Joe Woodward, danced with Splinters, performed in Street Theatre shows and been lead singer/songwriter in various bands before moving into hospitality and establishing Rosalie’s Vegan Catering and Desserts.

What began as a showcase quickly grew into something more ambitious.

Last year I saw the group’s production of the cult off-Broadway musical Ride the Cyclone, notable for the rip-roaring enthusiasm of the young performers themselves. The production sold out four performances at Smith’s Alternative and convinced them all that there was a genuine appetite for youth-driven, inclusive musical theatre.

Now Youth Cabaret is preparing its biggest challenge yet and marks a changing of the guard. 

Eighteen-year-old Krys Pendrich, who co-founded Youth Cabaret with Kai, has stepped into the director’s chair after previously handling everything from script acquisition and licensing to casting and production management.
For Pendrich, the company grew from frustration with the perceived decline of drama opportunities available to young people.

“The primary reason I wanted to start Youth Cabaret in the first place was because drama classes in general education were, to put it lightly, immensely disappointing,” Pendrich says, arguing that theatre programs in schools are often underfunded and undervalued.

What makes Youth Cabaret different, Pendrich believes, is its commitment to casting beyond conventional expectations.

“We mould the character to the person, not the person to the character.

“Roles are awarded on talent and suitability rather than appearance, gender or disability.”

The company now includes performers, technicians, designers and mentors aged roughly 16 to 27. Many of the cast contributed financially towards buying the rights to the show and share in the proceeds from ticket sales.

However, for Kai the greatest success is not measured in ticket sales.

Watching the young performers form friendships, develop confidence and discover their talents has been the real reward.

“Where covid had stopped their journey, Youth Cabaret seems to be kickstarting it back up,” Kai says.

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Mill Theatre, Fyshwick, October 8-17.

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