Taranaki’s Right Royal Cabaret Festival returns in June with programme packed with talent

TAFT chief executive Suzanne Porter at Thursday night's festival launch. Photo / Ilona Hanne

With a show titled The Most Naked as one of the acts in this year’s Right Royal Cabaret Festival lineup, it’s safe to say the team at Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT) have continued their tradition of sourcing and booking memorable shows for the event.

On Thursday evening, TAFT chief executive Suzanne Porter welcomed festival sponsors, supporters and fans to the launch, promising them the festival in June would be as memorable, thought-provoking and as entertaining as always.

Hannah Tasker-Poland’s new show The Most Naked doesn’t just have a saucy or memorable title, but judging from its sold-out seasons across Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Hawke’s Bay to spectacular reviews, its content will be just as thrilling. Using live music from renowned composer and musician Lucien Johnson, the show is described as a compelling, wild and unsettling sexy multidisciplinary work-come-cabaret that strips nakedness to the bone.

Circus performer Rachel Atlas is well-known to fringe festival audiences across the world and is a veteran vaudeville performer. Already renowned for her skilled, yet terrifying, knife-throwing and sword-swallowing prowess, Atlas has a new claim to fame – being one of the few people in the world to leave Suzanne Porter speechless.

Gag Reflex is Atlas’ first autobiographical work and the thrilling, titillating, tear-jerking piece of theatre was deservedly awarded NZ Fringe 2022 Best In Fringe and is guaranteed to leave Taranaki audiences lost for words in June this year.

Maverick entertainer, comedian and singer Jackie Clarke is bringing her Jackie Goes Prima Diva cabaret-style show to Taranaki for the festival. It features songs from the 20th and 21st centuries and will feature more than one recognisable face. Joining Jackie on-stage at her New Plymouth performance is local talent Unity Wara, while NZME’s Tracey Blake will appear alongside her at the Stratford show.

Comedian Tom Sainsbury – Snapchat Guy himself – will join Lizzie Tollemache (7 Deadly Stunts), the Everchanging Boy, Dust Palace, Flow’s parkour crew, Ladderman, Bombay Bombshell and Miss Hellblazer in Absolutely! Cabaret, a show which will tease the audience about humankind’s obsessions with fashion, religion and the binding liturgy of money.

Other shows in the lineup include British performer Sarah-Louise Young’s An Evening Without Kate Bush, social singalong experience Battle Chorus, NZME’s Hayley Sproull’s comedy show Ailments and the not-to-be-missed theatre event The Haka Party Incident.

Tickets for all the shows featured in this year’s Right Royal Cabaret Festival are on sale now and, as in previous years, patrons will be encouraged to consider paying it forward to keep the arts thriving, with the option of making a $5 ticket donation during the checkout.

The details:

What: Taranaki Arts Festival Trust presents: Right Royal Cabaret Festival

When: Thursday, June 22 - Wednesday, June 28

Where: Performances across Taranaki, see festival programme for details

More info: www.rightroyal.co.nz