Entertainment
31 July, 2024
Villains of vaudeville hit choral’s stage
AHEAD of its opening weekend and sell-out season for its zesty new theatre restaurant production of Vaude Villains, Cairns Choral Society has bowed to public demand, adding two show-only performances on August 9 and 10.

For her 10th production as writer and director of Cairns Choral Society’s popular theatre restaurant series, Kathy Carruthers has taken a family saga, added a dash of vaudeville, a splash of musical comedy and a twist of tragedy to create the perfect recipe for the perfect night out opening today at the society's theatre on Greenslopes St.
In Vaude Villains, after a missing will turns up, three siblings stand to inherit their grandparents’ New York theatre if they bring it back to life. For starry-eyed Adie, it’s a dream come true. For her sensible sister, Lina, it seems like an impossible mountain to climb, and for their brother – the gloriously neurotic Will – it’s a terrifying prospect. Like the New York Theatre Guild members, long-lost Uncle Joe has other ideas.
In a notable first, Vaude Villains’s creative process has been a true family affair. The show’s jaw-dropping original musical score was composed by Isla Carruthers, whose mother is the show’s writer and director, the ever-clever Kathy Carruthers.
According to Mrs Carruthers, Isla created the tracks from scratch by recording 17 of Cairns’ best adult and student musicians.
But the Carruthers family involvement doesn’t stop there.
“Son Marcus and daughter Lara are also in the show, with Lara also taking care of some of the tap choreography, while eldest son Jason is one of the musicians on the backing track with Isla, and husband Tim is on the ‘tech’ team,” Mrs Carruthers said.
With just a few hours until curtain-up, the cast and crew of Vaude Villains are ready to shine on stage at the Cairns Choral Society’s Greenslopes St headquarters.
“We have a great cast of 31 people, led by many talented leads. Some will be familiar faces to CCS lovers,” Mrs Carruthers said.
“John Margetts, Sharee Nicholls and Yasmin Croghan – all recently starring in Les Mis – are lined up beside some talented newcomers, Georgia Shaw, Rhett Kerr and Emily Hughes.
“But that’s certainly not all. The show has a whole host of featured performers, 17 in all.”
The theatre restaurant season of Vaude Villains from July 26 to August 4 sold out in a record 10 days. In response, the Cairns Choral Society announced an extended season with two extra performances (show only) on Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 at The Cairns Choral Society Theatre on Greenslopes St.
Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/3LzzxqrAHEAD of its opening weekend and sell-out season for its zesty new theatre restaurant production of Vaude Villains, Cairns Choral Society has bowed to public demand, adding two show-only performances on August 9 and 10.
For her 10th production as writer and director of Cairns Choral Society’s popular theatre restaurant series, Kathy Carruthers has taken a family saga, added a dash of vaudeville, a splash of musical comedy and a twist of tragedy to create the perfect recipe for the perfect night out opening today at the society's theatre on Greenslopes St.
In Vaude Villains, after a missing will turns up, three siblings stand to inherit their grandparents’ New York theatre if they bring it back to life. For starry-eyed Adie, it’s a dream come true. For her sensible sister, Lina, it seems like an impossible mountain to climb, and for their brother – the gloriously neurotic Will – it’s a terrifying prospect. Like the New York Theatre Guild members, long-lost Uncle Joe has other ideas.
In a notable first, Vaude Villains’s creative process has been a true family affair. The show’s jaw-dropping original musical score was composed by Isla Carruthers, whose mother is the show’s writer and director, the ever-clever Kathy Carruthers.
According to Mrs Carruthers, Isla created the tracks from scratch by recording 17 of Cairns’ best adult and student musicians.
But the Carruthers family involvement doesn’t stop there.
“Son Marcus and daughter Lara are also in the show, with Lara also taking care of some of the tap choreography, while eldest son Jason is one of the musicians on the backing track with Isla, and husband Tim is on the ‘tech’ team,” Mrs Carruthers said.
With just a few hours until curtain-up, the cast and crew of Vaude Villains are ready to shine on stage at the Cairns Choral Society’s Greenslopes St headquarters.
“We have a great cast of 31 people, led by many talented leads. Some will be familiar faces to CCS lovers,” Mrs Carruthers said.
“John Margetts, Sharee Nicholls and Yasmin Croghan – all recently starring in Les Mis – are lined up beside some talented newcomers, Georgia Shaw, Rhett Kerr and Emily Hughes.
“But that’s certainly not all. The show has a whole host of featured performers, 17 in all.”
The theatre restaurant season of Vaude Villains from July 26 to August 4 sold out in a record 10 days. In response, the Cairns Choral Society announced an extended season with two extra performances (show only) on Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 at The Cairns Choral Society Theatre on Greenslopes St.
Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/3Lzzxqr