Adelaide comes alive with art and culture this weekend as stage shows debut and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival kicks on. Plus, the outback lights up as Opal Festival takes over Coober Pedy.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Razzle dazzle

Head to the Thebarton Theatre on Saturday, June 17 for a throwback to the ’50s and ’60s as Shake, Rattle ‘n’ Roll hits the stage for its 30th anniversary. Themed around Wolfman Jack’s US radio program by the same name, the performance embraces an era of poodle skirts, bobby socks and brylcreamed hair with a soundtrack to match and even some nostalgic radio and television commercials mixed in. Choreographed by Aric Yegudkin, this high-energy stage show will take the audience back in time with iconic tunes by Elvis, Lesley Gore, and Johnny O’Keefe plus a medley of the most popular songs from the Grease soundtrack.

Precious gems

Head to Coober Pedy and explore the joys of the outback from June 16 to 18 at the Opal Festival. Now in its 34th year, the festival offers a family-friendly weekend of fun with live entertainment, local food and beverages, a market to meander and plenty of games to keep the kids entertained. The celebrations begin with a grand parade of floats and comes to an after-dark conclusion with a stunning display of lasers and fireworks.

An evening without Kate Bush

After a series of sold-out performances around Europe, An Evening Without Kate Bush is making its Australian premiere at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Cabaret superstar, Sarah-Louise Young pays homage to Kate Bush in the high-energy performance that takes audiences from the British artist’s debut at the age of 19 to her sold out show at the Hammersmith Apollo almost 40 years later. The one-woman show was created by Sarah-Louise Young alongside London-based artist Russell Lucas to honour Bush’s diverse range and generational influence in a joyous and eccentric tribute. An Evening Without Kate Bush will show at Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre from June 15 to 17.

Hola Espana

Discover the joys of Spanish cinema as the Spanish Film Festival takes over the Palace Nova East End and Prospect Cinemas until July 5. The festival will open with the Australian premiere of Two Many Chefs, a delicious comedy in the world of high cuisine. Festival highlights include five-time Goya Award-winner Prison 77, a thriller following a young accountant awaiting trial for embezzlement in 1977; the gritty drama and winner of the 2022 San Sebastian Film Festival’s Best Film award, The Kings of the World by Laura Mora; and My Father’s Mexican Wedding, a romantic comedy about two siblings travelling to Mexico to attend the wedding of their father and a woman he met online.

What’s the cost?

Arriving at Norwood’s Odeon Theatre on Friday, June 16 fresh from its world premiere at Belvoir St Theatre in New South Wales, At What Cost? is a gritty and honest drama produced by First Nations Australian artists. The play follows Boyd Everett, a Palawa man and family patriarch played by Luke Carroll, who is walking a tightrope in balancing his responsibilities to Land and People with the simple business of making a living as strangers begin arriving in Putalina claiming Palawa ancestry. At What Cost? is about responsibility to community and who has the right to say who is Aboriginal and who is not.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the June issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.