Cabaret / Canberra Cabaret Festival, DNA The Cabaret performed by Janie Lawson, Dave 101 performed by Dave Collins. At ACT Hub Theatre, Kingston, February 21. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

There was a huge buzz of anticipation in the full house at the ACT Hub Theatre for the two performers on the evening’s bill for the Canberra Cabaret Festival.

Both performers exceeded their audience’s expectations, providing a highly entertaining evening of personal revelations and good music.

The first performer, Janie Lawson, presented DNA The Cabaret: A journey of identity, discovery, and new beginnings. Accompanied by Callum Tolhurst-Close on keyboard, Lawson began her show with a fine version of The Skye Boat Song. This journey song set the scene for her story of an unexpected discovery about her family background.

Choosing popular, theatre and film songs that provided emotional highlights for her story, Lawson provided intimate insights into her character as she related this compelling journey of discovery. Concluding with a rousing version of I Am What I Am from the musical La Cage Aux Folles, Lawson made the song a triumphant and emotional climax for both her personal journey and her show.

Lawson has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years, having performed in musicals, plays, cabarets, and corporate events locally, interstate and in the US. She has most recently appeared as Maureen in Free Rain’s Beauty Queen of Leenane, Marion Woolnough in The Boy From Oz and Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot.

For his show, Dave Collins presented Dave 101: An Introduction to Poor Life Choices. Choosing chapters from the book of his life so far, Collins provided a comedic look at incidents and missteps where hindsight has become a wonderful thing.

His very human and at times courageous insights were highlighted with a number of popular and theatre songs that  displayed his powerful vocal ability. He was joined for well-chosen and performed individual duets by friends and guest performers Kara Murphy, Amelia Andersson-Nickson and Louiza Blomfield.

Collins is a Canberra and Sydney based singer/actor and musician, with a career spanning across television, stage, pantomime, big‑band leading, corporate events, and a broad range of musical theatre productions from local to international. He is currently the lead male vocalist for Spectrum Big Band, performing at various corporate and public events across the Canberra region.