One of the (many!) things I love about living in Melbourne is that no matter what day of the week, there’s always something to see / do / visit. Tuesdays are often a quieter evening during the week and I have been working extra hard at my daytime job lately so I decided to check out the new Tuesday Vaudeville evening at Speakeasy HQ. Tuesday is widely know as ‘cheap’ Tuesday for many activities (ie the cinema, restaurant deals etc etc) and the entry fee at Speakeasy HQ on Tuesdays is no different, being $7. Yes, you read that correctly – I was entertained for 2 and half hours for the miserly sum of $7! Plus there are also special bar prices – what more could I want on a Tuesday evening?!

I was excited to see this show as it contained a variety of acts – many of them I had not seen before (or rarely seen). First up on stage was Ukulele Will, who charmed the audience with stories and anecdotes along with his sunny and enthusiastic ukulele playing. Ukulele performances can be a bit bland at times / a bit ‘samey’ but this is NOT the case with Will. Each song he performed had a different tempo and vibe (from jazzy to tropical to lounge type music). My personal favourites from his performance were a song about gay pirates, and a lounge version of the Cannibal Corpse song ‘Rancid Amputation’. Given these song choices, I have no doubt that each performance from Will is a  different adventure!

As usual, a visit to Speakeasy HQ is not the same without a visit from the ‘host with the most’ and all-round-awesome-guy Roy Maloy. Roy knows how to charm his audience, and on this evening the audience were lapping up his jazz lounge rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells like teen spirit” as well as a famous Bobby Darin song (with some Melbourne lyrics included) and classic Frank Sinatra songs, which Roy clearly enjoys. It just so happens that the Tuesday Vaudeville show at Speakeasy HQ includes an ‘open mic’ section for people to get up on stage and sing a song for a prize (drink card). There were many brave souls who elected to do this at various points in the evening, including: a popular street busker; a talented young lady who sang in English and French; a set of twins and an assortment of other ladies. Whilst it was clear that some entrants had sung before on stage / in front of an audience, I’m sure that wasn’t the case for all of them so I applaud their bravery in that regard. It isn’t something I would be comfortable with (unless it’s karaoke and I’ve had a few drinks)! Including an open mic section in the show is great because it adds even greater variety and surprise to the evening, as well as supporting local talent.

Acoustic sets seemed to be the order of this evening, however I was assured that the lineup varies wildly each week. I heartily enjoyed the acoustic set from petite purple-haired charmer Damielou Shavelle, who treated the audience to a rendition of the classic sultry song “Fever” as well as one of her own songs “I’ll do it myself”. Damielou was at ease with the audience and gave us plenty of smiles and laughs throughout her performance. She was a delight to listen to, full of pizzazz and left the audience wanting more. I look forward to hearing more from her (especially the songs she has written).

I could write more about my fantastic Tuesday adventure however I’d hate to spoil the evening for you, in case you’re keen to attend the show. Suffice to say the rest of the lineup for the evening was exactly what you’d expect from a vaudeville show with hoop dancers, hypnotic contact juggling and even some comedy. Keep a lookout for MC Names – you can’t miss his quick wit, awesome hair and swish outfit.

I’ve only been to one installment (of many I’m sure) of Tuesday Vaudeville at Speakeasy HQ and it is already the most fun I’ve had on a Tuesday for a long time! Don’t miss the chance to see the show and support some local talent in the process.

Tickets are available at the door at:
Speakeasy HQ – 522 Flinders Street, Melbourne
www.speakeasy-hq.com