Reviewed by Georgia Cassimatis
The show of the year so far for music lovers, is Lola’s Piano Bar: a glorious pop up bar housed at the wondrous Speigeltent, nestled in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter; home to award-winning cabaret, circus, comedy and musical theatre.
…and if a packed house is anything to go by, it’s clear Sydneysiders are after the piano bar experience. The music is fabulous, the atmosphere intimate and classy, and one is surrounded by fellow music lovers, with the opportunity to break out into random karaoke if your inner diva so desires.
The karaoke part of the show at the end merges perfectly with the star performers. It’s like the dessert on the cake: the adrenalin and vibes are high; even that mother from the burbs with no singing training, belting out ‘I will survive’ gets everyone pumped. A favourite was a large, bald bloke in tattoos singing ‘Sweet Caroline’.
Lola’s Piano Bar delivers on all the above-mentioned levels because firstly, the Spielgeltent’s atmosphere is magical, mystical, and cosy. It is like a speakeasy, where one can just chill, relax, and dance to the world’s greatest hits spanning decades. A fact I never knew, but learnt on the night, is that hailing from Holland, there are only 200 Spiegeltents worldwide, and all are fiercely protected. Secondly, the cast are all fabulous.
Hosted by the super talented and outrageously fun Brendan Maclean, donned mostly in a pink sequins jacket, with his two exceptional singing Divas; Libby Ann Wood and Emma Wade, with Ben Kiehne on piano, they are all hostesses of the mostest, launching us into a buffet of songs for the soul including What’s Going On (which had me crying), If You Could Read My Mind, I Will Always Love You (billed as ‘The Torch Song’), Never Can Say Goodbye, Hopelessly Devoted, Murder on the Dance Floor, Faith, Lady Gaga’s Shallow, and a beautiful favourite, Callum Scott’s hit Dancin’ On My Own…
With a rotation of leading guest stars, surprise diva of the night was Hollywould Star (Instagram is @hollywould), dripped in a gold sequins midriff and flares, with a six pack as fabulous as her voice, her body svelte, bronzed cheekbones as high as the Eiffel Tower, and long black hair for days. It was rather apt she sang Diamonds Are Forever, in her beautiful sonerous alto that was mesmerizing.
It was Diva Libby Ann, dripping in silver sequins who closed the night with the big , fabulous Tina Turner hit You’re Simply The Best.
The beauty of Lola’s Bar is that it is different every night. With a rotation of singers, diva guest stars, and music, no two nights are ever the same.
Be sure to check out Lola’s Bar when they return in May!
For more information check out: sydneyspiegeltent.com