An End to Dreaming 28 April 2012
aussietheate.com.au, posted 12 May 2012
Reviewer: Bobbi-Lea Dionysius

"....The audience was truly taken on a magical journey and the show achieved the ultimate theatrical experience in which the audience actually felt something and came away from the show somehow changed..."

An End to Dreaming is a “pop-cabaret-fairytale” from Brisbane’s most accomplished cabaret performers Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach.

Entering the stage area through the candle-lit cabaret tables like a lost Hansel and Gretel, yet cloaked like Little Red Riding Hood, the gothic cabaret fairytale of the Tim Burton kind begins in darkness. The next sixty minutes takes us on a haunting journey through five stages: The Darkness, The Awareness, The Reckoning, The Healing, and finally, The Light. But don’t forget your breadcrumbs or you might just fall down the rabbit hole and get lost in the woods.

The character storybook themed cabaret, narrated and interspersed with songs, is a fresh look at the form of cabaret as it departs from the expected standup comedy and pathos patter, song, patter, song routine.

Our two storytellers, singers, and songwriters are both accomplished musicians with equally stunning vocals. Diefenbach with his almost androgynous tone and Dean with a voice that will transport anywhere she wills it.

The original musical arrangements are an ode to the minor chord and scary carnival music. It was strange, dark, disturbing, emotive, passionate, and beautiful. Yes, there is beauty in darkness – ask any goth.

Having seen Dean in Zen Zen Zo’s Cabaret last year, I was eager to see her in true cabaret mode, which she is so well known for. I did, however, have trepidation to see how the duo partner sharing her stage would measure up. I’m now embarrassed to say I had never seen Diefenbach perform before. Which neck of the woods has this talent been hiding in? His twinkling of the ivories are astounding and his voice sublime. His charming childlike quality in boy pants and braces along with his gob-smacking talent is the perfect compliment to Dean’s commanding presence. Thank you Emma Dean for bringing Jake Diefenbach into the light.

The audience was truly taken on a magical journey and the show achieved the ultimate theatrical experience in which the audience actually felt something and came away from the show somehow changed (even if it was a brief moment in time).

The simple, yet clever lighting added atmosphere to an otherwise bare stage, bar instruments in which the two would pas de deux between an upright piano and synthesized keyboard, a violin and a melodica (small keyboard played by blowing air through a mouthpiece) also made a cameo appearance. Some form of stage setting would have perhaps added to the experience, even if it was just one overbearing gnarled tree with dead branches overshadowing the stage, whether projected or painted would have sufficed.

I especially loved their comical encore number, which goes to show that even though Dean and Diefenbach do dark and twisty rather well, their talents also extends to witty, cheeky, and irreverent. It is no wonder this duo, now under the name of Geppetto, have been invited to perform at the New York Fringe Festival.

I would recommend seeing this dark delightful duo, after all, you are getting two stars for the price of one.

link to online review (accessible as at 14May12)

An End to Dreaming 28 April 2012
XS Entertainment, posted 4 May 2012
Reviewer: Andy Clark

"....Some singers are made to sing together - Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach are definitely one of these perfect pairings...."

My Favourite Sin(ger)s

Some singers are made to sing together - Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach are definitely one of these perfect pairings.

I first saw Emma and Jake perform the lead song of their An End to Dreaming show before The Dresden Dolls played The Arena on Valley Fiesta Friday in 2006. That performance was emphasised by the specifically placed members of Zen Zen Zo in the audience, who performed above us, after we were all asked to sit on the floor. The song was a like a multicoloured chrysalis that was beautiful in it’s own way, but is primed for greater things in the future. It was showcased again as their Grand Finale number in 2009 when Emma and Jake did their Downside Up show at The Judith Wright Centre.

Friday night’s performance started with two very young and talented Brisbane singers who may one day be as accomplished as E&J. Pixie and the Halloran intersperse their beautiful songs with simultaneous talking that has been rehearsed to a tee. Dressed like they have just pranced in from the bottom of the garden, these Fairy-like singers bounce off each other’s voices with a lovely balance and only occasionally does the blend of their voices not create a dreamy sense of magic in the heads of the audience. James Halloran’s booming mellow voice dominated their show for me, which is hardly surprising as Indigo (Pixie) is unbelievably, only 16 years old; she is totally enchanting and will be a star before she’s 20.

However, they are but an appetiser for THE Show that is about to be unleashed on the lucky throng. Emma and Jake appear in the middle of The Judy between the tiered seats and the circular tables as if by magic. Cloaked in what look like black capes, they weave their way toward the stage, where their cloaks are seen to be blood red. Their show goes through stages of development from The Darkness with Emma’s song Black to The Light, via The Awakening, The Reckoning and The Healing, with a special moment when they perform the superb Stuck in the Mud.

Jake’s keyboard acrobatics are a sight to behold and he compliments Emma’s piano, violin & melodium. Their voices are very similar and merge and mix with each other so perfectly I hope they perform together forever.

The show climaxes with the 2012 version of An End to Dreaming, which meanders it’s way from deep and dark to spectacular and dramatic and it is a delight to see how this song has evolved into a multilayered, multicoloured butterfly.

Then just when you think it’s all over, they return for an awesome rendition of My Favourite Sins, to cap off an exceptional evening. Next stop for this spectacular show is the New York International Fringe Festival. Maybe the next stop after that should be not Briz Vegas, but Las Vegas?

link to online review (accessible as at 14May12)

An End to Dreaming 28 April 2012
theatrepeople.com.au, posted 4 May 2012
Reviewer: Brent Downes
TP Rating: 5/5

"..."An End to Dreaming" is an amazing show by two amazing artists, it is first rate, magical, complex, warm, cathartic and utterly, totally beautiful...."

It is a rare and special treat to look up on a stage that has local Brisbane talent performing on it to a sold out crowd and seeing artists who have well and truly "made it". Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach have not just well and truly "made it", they have redefined it, they have become talent and artistic success incarnate, they are poised, professional, masterful, unique, total, sublime, beautiful and absolutely brilliant! Bravo!

In this one night offering of their now-to-internationally tour show "An End to Dreaming" Emma and Jake offer us a "pop-cabaret-fairytale" through the darkness and into the light of consciousness, experience and existence. Their tale is one of becoming, recognizing one's true identity, coping with pain, suffering and hardship and learning to rely on your inner strength to cope with a changing and uncertain world. Their musical tale is darkly beautiful, serene, a tale of healing, catharsis, change and the complexity and fragility of the human experience. They take us on a spellbinding journey through our flaws and qualities, our weaknesses and our sense of hope and wonder.

The scene opens in the first stage of Emma and Jake's journey through the darkness, a world that is frightening, apocalyptic, confusing. The tunes that guide us through this first stage of the journey are full of torment and longing. The second stage of the journey leads us through coming to slowly understand and challenge ourselves and the world around us, it is a tale of conflict, full of danger and uncertainty.

Jake and Emma serve both as singers and storytellers, they lovingly and warmly guide us through the different territories and states of their journey from confusion and suffering into eventual enlightenment. They are personable, warm and deeply engaging and their show has a at the same time a child-like innocence and yet an emotional maturity and depth and complexity of feeling. Their journey leads us through the deception of the everyday world, conflicts both within our own minds and with the world, the dangers of criticism and low self worth, the pain of healing scars and into acceptance, transcendence and enlightenment.

"An End to Dreaming" seems appropriately named, not only for its content that relates to waking, self-realization, self-discovery and enlightenment, but also for the stage it marks in Emma and Jake's own journey. This show marks the end to dreaming for their aspirations towards being a benchmark of talent and performing brilliance in Brisbane, success and accomplishment are not dreams for Emma and Jake anymore, instead they are realities. "An End to Dreaming" is an amazing show by two amazing artists, it is first rate, magical, complex, warm, cathartic and utterly, totally beautiful. I am unused to reviewing musical events, but this show is both musical and theatrical and so much more, it is a real event in human compassion, empathy and beauty celebrated through the sung and played note. I applaud them and wish them well.

link to online review (accessible as at 14May12)

An End to Dreaming 28 April 2012
artshub.com.au, posted 1 May 2012
Reviewer: Nerissa Rowan

"....This is a show that ends too soon, keeps you wanting more...."

While the music is beautiful, Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach’s show An End To Dreaming is all about the voices. This talented Brisbane duo, both highly respected cabaret performers in their own right, collaborate under the moniker Geppetto. It’s clear this musical alliance will be long-lived and fruitful.

Support act Pixie and The Halloran, who describe themselves as ‘freak pop’, set the mood with their lingering harmonies. Young Pixie’s (Indigo Keane) remarkably powerful voice harmonises wonderfully with her singing partner James Halloran, and their songs are full of humour with a deliciously dark twist.

The main event begins with the two fairytale wanderers lost in the forest of audience. They weave through Judith Wright Centre’s candle-lit tables before inviting us to bring breadcrumbs on this musical journey, to ensure we find our way back. It is good advice. The spellbinding performance takes us from darkness to light through ten haunting songs, and it’s easy to become entangled in the rich sounds.

Jake and Emma construct gorgeous melodies with keyboard and violin overlaid by their rich voices, showcasing their vocal prowess. This story is staged simply, told through song and minimalist movement. The journey is in five stages — The Darkness, The Awakening, The Reckoning, The Healing and The Light — with a short spoken piece to introduce each section. Two songs explore the theme of each piece, culminating with the title song which inspired the show.

Over the last two months, An End To Dreaming played a season at Adelaide Fringe Festival before coming back to a warm home town reception via Melbourne and Sydney. With a gorgeous, polished performance, it’s not surprising that the pair have been invited to perform An End To Dreaming at the New York International Fringe Festival.

This is a show that ends too soon, keeps you wanting more. It’s fortunate then that Geppetto, described as a dark, electronic pop fairytale duo, will soon release their debut EP. I’ll be looking forward to it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

link to online review (accessible as at 14May12)

An End to Dreaming 28 April 2012
australianstage.com.au, posted 30 April 2012
Reviewer: Lauren Sherritt

"....By its end the audience was speechless, wide-eyed and full of wonder at what they had just witnessed...."

The front of house area of the Judith Wright Centre was buzzing by the time I arrived, relieved to be inside and out of the relentlessly pouring rain. After years of being urged by friends to see her, I was eager to see what all the hype about Emma Dean would add up to, and the rest of the audience seemed no less excited. Whispers about the outstanding talent of her new creative partner-in-crime, Jake Diefenbach, led me to believe that if all the rumours could add up, something special was definitely afoot.

The night began with a magical routine by local duo Pixie and the Halloran. Performers Indigo Keane and James Halloran took to the stage with a feisty energy, their gothic, somewhat creepy performance tempered by the manically fun sparkle each held in their eyes. Songs with the subjects of witches and fairy-floss were performed in unison, the pairs' operatic voices strong and clear, their vigorous showmanship demanding of attention.

The two departed the stage in slow stepping unison to the cheers of a crowd much riled up to see more great theatre. After a short interval, An End to Dreaming got underway. Dean and Diefenbach began telling their modern-day musical fairytale cloaked and hooded in dark velvet, whispering through the crowd amongst the cries and calls of animals that sounded nearly prehistoric. Cleverly placed narration informed the audience of the deep forest setting and the strong imagery within the lyrics was all that was needed to see beyond the mostly bare stage to the mystical surrounds of the performers.

Emma Dean's talents are impossible to exaggerate. Her voice is strong, smooth and controlled, her sense of theatrical timing impeccable and on stage she is all but riveting to watch. Her pairing with Jake Diefenbach is one of genius, and in this character his gentle charm complemented Dean's strength perfectly. Diefenbach is unnervingly talented on the piano, the instrument coming to life as at once a much loved or loathed extension of himself each time his fingers met the keys.

From the dark depths of the story's beginning the two travelled, audience in tow, towards the brighter ending. Beautifully simple yet powerful lighting states added tension, building with the exquisite musical score. By its end the audience was speechless, wide-eyed and full of wonder at what they had just witnessed.

Pleased to be able to finally add my recommendation to those I had heard so often about Emma Dean's works, by the time I re-entered the foyer my expectations had been more than blown away. Dean and Diefenbach's future work, under their new name Geppetto, is now on high rotation on my own recommendations list, along with any upcoming performances of Pixie and the Halloran, and the exquisite memory of my experience of An End to Dreaming will ensure that it will stay there for a long time to come.

link to online review (accessible as at 14May12)

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Theatre People (theatrepeople.com.au), posted 19 March 2012
Reviewer: Marcel Blanch-de Wilt
TP Rating: 5/5

"....An End to Dreaming is an opportunity to share a space with two cabaret performers who together create an astonishing performance that showcases their amazing talents...."

An End to Dreaming is a theatrical piece of cabaret modeled around a fairy tale quest to escape the darkness. Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach (two cabaret performers with great respective accolades) are our guides on this journey. The show is broken up into five stages with each stage being introduced with a piece of narrative from the storybook world. La Boheme is a perfect venue for a show that demands an intimate relationship with the audience.

Our performers enter wearing hoods, the space is filled with a keyboard and a piano and soon the first song begins. This is not your typical fare where the performers make amusing banter between songs, this is serious stuff with every effort made to maintain the intimate and delicate atmosphere of the gloomy fairy tale. The brief moments of narrative between each segment serve to further the story, but without the music these moments feel considerably colder then the intense and emotive quality of the songs. This is a shame considering the space between songs can be used to develop an even stronger connection with the audience. Fortunately these incredibly talented performers have the ability to completely engage the audience with their stunning vocals.

Emma Dean is an absolute delight. Her powerful voice displays such dedication to her craft with the ability to imbue her lyrics with deep emotion as she caresses each note with love and care. A particular highlight is her song 'Stuck in the Mud' which reflects one of the key themes of the show, the challenge to recover from loss and overcome personal struggles. Jake Diefenbach is at his best when he is able to display his wonderful energy in songs such as 'Fun and Games' where Emma Dean complements him on violin. Both performers come together in excellent fashion with their rich vocals and obvious friendship resulting in a lovely combination of styles.

An End to Dreaming is an opportunity to share a space with two cabaret performers who together create an astonishing performance that showcases their amazing talents. If you prefer your cabaret dark, sombre and inspiring, this is where to find it.

link to online review (accessible as at 20Mar12)

Glam Adelaide (glamadelaide.com.au), posted 18 March 2012
Reviewer: Jade Kops, special guest Fringe Critic, Glam Adelaide

"....These are two names to look out for, as their creativity and talent is immense...."

In black hooded capes, Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach take up position at the electric keyboard and the upright piano respectively.

The duo take the audience through a grown up fairy-tale journey through the use of ten of their own compositions, and spoken word. The songs work on feelings that most of the audience will have had, at some point in their lives, the feeling of loneliness, despair and a certain comfort and safety in that space. They then move to focus on the need to live life and take the risks, and accepting the risk of hurt and the subsequent healing and the pain that can entail as well.

The performers alternate between the two instruments, with the piano used for the bulk of the composition and the keyboard used to fill out the music with more synthesised sounds from bells and electronic sounds to, simply, a second piano. There is one number where Dean accompanies Diefenbach’s piano with a violin, both providing vocals.

Throughout, the vocal are strong and clear. Dean has an unusual style, a dusky part American, part English, part Australian singing voice which is hard to pinpoint, but it serves the songs well, drawing the audience in to another world. Diefenbach has a sweet voice that can follow Dean’s phrases seamlessly and also has a good solid tone. Both handle the range of styles well with some as darker ballads and others, including a folk reel.

The music allows a range of emotions and both performers connect with the audience well, even when at the upright piano, where they have to sing side on. The duo work well together, and have the stage presence and grace to ease the audience through the journey. Stripped of their capes, Dean is like a ethereal sprite in her black dress with sparkly white over-skirt and Diefenbach is the picture of a storybook boy, an image of innocence in shorts and braces, further emphasising the fairy-tale connections.

These are two names to look out for, as their creativity and talent is immense.

This is for anyone who believes that living means dreaming and doing, regardless of the cost, or needs to have that reconfirmed, or who simply enjoys wonderfully performed new compositions.

link to online review (accessible as at 2Apr12)

Cabaret Confessional (cabaretconfessional.com), posted 17 March 2012)
Reviewer: Lena Nobuhara

"....There is no doubt that these two immensely gifted performers will continue to take Australian contemporary cabaret to new heights...."

The latest collaboration from Brisbane based cabaret pop artists Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach comes in a form of enthralling gothic fairytale. Their self-penned songs performed over five stages tell individual stories, but they also collectively paint a bigger picture of their transformation.

Accompanying themselves on keys and piano, their gradual emergence from despair to recovery to hope is told through songs and monologues. The show is highly theatrical with no direct interaction with the audience. However, Dean and Diefenbach engage everyone through their superbly written numbers, taking them to the enchanted forest and each step of their transition. The emotions they sing about ring true and feel exquisitely real, yet, the story also brims with a sense of magic. Their ethereal vocals and the sounds of piano blend flawlessly to create a bewitching world of their own.

There is no doubt that these two immensely gifted performers will continue to take Australian contemporary cabaret to new heights. An End to Dreaming is a wondrous piece of storytelling and an experience not to be missed.

link to online review (accessible as at 20Mar12)

Adelaide Theatre Guide (theatreguide.com.au), post undated)
Reviewer: Jamie Wright

"...the sheer talent of the two as performers and songwriters makes for an hour of exceptional entertainment..."

Rip Hansel and Gretel out of the pages of a book of fairy tales, give them angelic voices and instruments and sit them down in Adelaide’s cabaret hot-spot La Bohème and you’ve got “An End to Dreaming”.

In five chapter-like ‘stages’, Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach perform ten songs, each a short story in its own right. Both are excellent singers, and the songs are powerful numbers that manage to be both sweet and haunting. The two swap between upright piano and electronic keyboard – with Dean also playing violin on one song – and this combination allows for a great range of accompaniment, tailored for each number.

It’s a very theatrical, in-character form of cabaret; the patter in between songs is more narration, part of the story rather than conversation. It’s a departure from the style of show performed by the majority of contemporary cabaret acts, and a challenging one in the sense that it dilutes a key feature of the genre: the capacity for the performers to break the fourth wall to connect personally with the audience.

With that in mind, the dreamy narrative and the characters they portray could perhaps be given more prominence than in its current form. As it is, though, the sheer talent of the two as performers and songwriters makes for an hour of exceptional entertainment; beautiful songs and exquisite voices brought together to create wonderful, ethereal pop cabaret.

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

link to online review (accressible as at 20Mar12)

Rip It Up (ripitup.com.au), posted 16 March 2012
Reviewer: Carolyn Lake

"....A must-see show to round out this year’s Fringe. Final Word: Enchanting."

Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach wowed audience members at the intimate La Bohème venue with their new show An End To Dreaming. Presented like a fairytale, Dean and Diefenbach take an old form of storytelling and use it to produce an original and intensely compelling performance of hope and fear, lightness and darkness. Musically, theatrically and vocally both artists were seamless, maintaining tremendous poise as they both swapped and moved between the piano and the keyboard, with Dean taking up the violin for one song. It was a privilege to see this truly collaborative duo in action, with their unique but complementary styles effortlessly combining to create a magical performance. Their ability to take universal themes and forms and deliver them with nuance and vision is a sight to be seen. A must-see show to round out this year’s Fringe.

Final Word: Enchanting

link to online review (scroll down page)(accessible as at 17Mar12)

Adelaide ArtBeat (adelaideartbeat.com), posted 16 March 2012
Reviewer: Jane Durbridge

"....Their dream like state ends with such rousing applause....We're charmed by their tale."

The intimate and plush La Boheme is the perfect setting for the entrance of this cloaked and hooded pair. Hidden from view and with a countertenor singing voice, Jake’s sexuality could be ambiguous, (apart from protruding man arms and an obviously male name!), but there is no doubting his musical ability.

The scenes are set in 5 stages, each set comprising 2 well crafted songs to lead you through The Darkness (hooded), The Awareness (Emma is now blond, and matching her Aryan brother-from-another-mother Jake), The Reckoning, The Healing, and finishing with The Light.

We’re taken on a twisted Hansel & Gretel tale into a mesmerizing dark place, each song filled with discord and a mix of strong emotions until we’re walked out of their darkness to a safer place.

Jake and Emma work effortlessly together, complementing each other with their harmonies and styles. It’s an awkward pas de deux within the confines of a small stage filled with a large keyboard and piano, but they move between their stations quietly and affectionately – supporting each other through the forest of life.

Their dream like state ends with such rousing applause that the pair demurely provide an encore – almost as though they’re surprised we’re in the room. They seem a bit abashed at their ability to move the audience to such support, but it’s all very well deserved.

We’re charmed by their tale.

link to online review (accessible as at 17Mar12)

Chris Peck, freelance writer

"....Their performances are captivating, spellbinding, and enchanting...".

Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach’s new collaboration “An End To Dreaming” is a breathtaking show that weaves a magical spell over the audience. It’s a musical tale of the human condition, love, loss, and life, and as such it’s both moving and magnificent. Their relationship on stage is complementarily harmonious and almost symbiotic in nature. Rarely do two artists complement each other so well, and rarely do both take equal prominence and deserve equal credit.

Emma Dean is a swan-like beauty, sultry, seductive, and yet playful, with a musical talent to match her beauty; her vocal range is incredible, and is matched by her skill as a pianist. Jake Diefenbach is a powerful, emotive and intense vocalist with a great lyrical wit, a unique vocal sound, and just like Emma, he has an amazing talent and range as a pianist.

In simple terms their act is a modern allegorical fairy tale split into 5 acts, with ten songs, and one encore. For the sake of comparison, which is almost always unbefitting, they can be compared to Freddie Mercury and Kate Bush in both enviable musical talent and iconic stage presence.

Their performances are captivating, spellbinding, and enchanting. Their music is dramatic, powerful, and unique. Their sound is beautiful, original, and resonates with power. Their lyrical content is honest, insightful, amusing, tragic and emotional, with wisdom beyond their years. What more could you ask for in a performance?

Go and see them yourselves, before they are whisked away to inevitable fame and fortune, or they disappear back to the magical musical realm from which they have come…

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Theatre People (theatrepeople.com.au) 5 March 2012
Reviewer: Rachael Dean (no relation)

"...she gracefully contorted piano and voice with a poignancy that still haunts my melodic memory."

Extract from longer review
.... Threatening to steal the limelight was second support act Emma Dean. I could draw countless comparisons to canonistic artists such as Kate Bush, but Dean makes her own indelible and unique mark with the dark melismas of her songs. A vision of darkness and beauty, with a black dress and cock feathers, she gracefully contorted piano and voice with a poignancy that still haunts my melodic memory....

Link to online review

Critical Mass (criticalmassblog.net), posted 5 March 2012
Reviewer: Katherine Cooke

"....Talented much?"

Extract from longer review
Enter stage right after two very delicious cocktails to the rambunctious Emma Dean. An aural and visual delight as always. This was Emma Dean unplugged—just one voice, one piano, and one guitar—but she managed to belt out a megamix version of Roxette’s Fading Like a Flower cross Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance like the true pop cabaret priestess that she is. All while performing a kind of acrobalance stunt on a small wooden chair. Talented much?

link to online review

XS Entertainment (xsentertainment.wordpress.com) 4 March 2012
Reviewer: Andy Clark

.... Tonight’s show is as diverse and intriguing as any that I’ve seen before...."

Extract from longer review
....I’ve seen Emma Dean perform about 30 times. Tonight’s show is as diverse and intriguing as any that I’ve seen before. The inter-song explanations are both entertaining and personal. From the staccato of the opening 2008 song ‘Cocaine’ to the Grand Piano new song ‘Love Me’, via a theatrical rendition of Roxette’s “Fading like a Flower” with a dash of Lady Gaga, this was another memorable performance, right up to the concluding number, in which she offers “her Heart & her Bones & her Blood’ to her friends in her Last Will and Testament. Emma is not fading like a flower, but is blossoming more & more....

Link to online review

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News Unlimited (newsunlimited.com.au) 14 September 2011
Reviewer: Courtney Phelps

"....Beautiful songs, eccentric costumes, and unique surrounds: Dean’s performance hits all the right notes."

Extract from longer review
....We were there to witness the versatile musical stylings of Brisbane artist Emma Dean, who last weekend brought her solo show Stripped to town for just two nights. Named “one of ten artists to watch in 2011” by The New York Post, Dean’s recent involvement in large-scale productions was this time replaced with the complete opposite, a show which aims to reveal the neuroses of the cabaret songstress and strip her craft down to the bare essentials....

.... Finally emerging from behind the red velvet curtain in a glorious unitard, Dean oozed incredible stage presence the moment she stepped into the spotlight.

Maybe you saw her back in August, in Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre’s Cabaret. But sitting with just the keyboard and an overdressed mannequin named Scarlet for company, Stripped was about as far removed from that as you can get. We soon realised though, sipping red wine within the delightfully grungy surrounds of the warehouse, this was more than enough to keep the crowd entranced for a full hour.

Five different acts flowed from the depths of Dean’s overactive imagination, kicking off with a surprising rendition of Willy Wonka’s Oompa Loompa. The rest of the show was compiled of original songs from Dean’s extensive back catalogue, including her best-known Sincerely Fearful, demonstrating an impressive vocal range and striking knack for theatricality.

Young guns Indigo Keane and James Halloran kept the crowd distracted between Dean’s brief costume changes, armed with only a ukulele and, in Halloran’s case, a charming mesh shirt. Towards the end of the set, the duo took to the stage with Dean to perform one of Keane’s original songs, a haunting track that for me was one of the standouts.

As we left the surprising warmth of the warehouse, back into the cool September night air, the trance Dean had put us under was broken. Beautiful songs, eccentric costumes, and unique surrounds: Dean’s performance hits all the right notes.

link to online review (accessible as at 20Sep11)

Rave Magazine website 12 September 2011
Reviewer: Alisdair Duncan

"....Dean has described herself as a ‘ringmaster’ in the past, and that seems pretty apt, given the ease with which she whips her crowd’s enthusiasm up."

Extract from longer review
....Headliner Emma Dean tells us that tonight is all about stripping her show back, but it’s still quite a production – the evening is split into five acts, and during each costume change, a pair of spindly, gothed-out kids roam the warehouse, playing pop song covers on a ukulele. Dean has a powerful voice, which she deploys to its full capabilities, and her show draws as heavily on cabaret as it does on Amanda Palmer-style theatrics. Her originals are bracing, but it’s also intriguing to hear her take a song like Smashing Pumpkins’ Bullet With Butterfly Wings and twist it around the contours of her Korg keyboard. Dean has described herself as a ‘ringmaster’ in the past, and that seems pretty apt, given the ease with which she whips her crowd’s enthusiasm up.

link to online review (accessible as at 14Sept11)
Jump to more Stripped reviews (Adelaide show)

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Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre's CABARET
Cremorne Theatre QPAC Brisbane 4-20 August 2011

At an awards ceremony held at the Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane, on 12 March 2012, Zen Zen Zo's Cabaret won a Matilda Award for Best Musical, In a newly created category.

The Matilda Awards is an annual event that honour and celebrate the achievements of the Brisbane theatre Industry.

Altogether Cabaret received four nominations for the 2011 Matilda Awards:
Zen Zen Zo's Cabaret Best Musical
Sandro Colarelli Best Male Actor in a Leading Role (left in photo)
Emma Dean Best Female Actor in a Lead Role
Matthew Hadgraft Best Emerging Artist (right in photo)

Emma performed Cabaret at the Awards ceremony.

All nominees and winners are listed on the Matilda Awards website.

Reviews related to Emma's performance in Cabaret are reproduced below.

Extracts from longer reviews of Cabaret

www.criticalmassblog.net - Cabaret Under a Black Cloud (13 August 2011)
Reviewer: Elizabeth Navratil

....Emma Dean as Sally Bowles blew me away with her raw gutsy rendition of the title song Cabaret....

link to website review

Absolute Theatre website (posted 12 August 2011
Reviewer: Eric Scott

".... Dean was just sensational as the brittle, self destructive English girl night club singer. She had this underlying sadness and desperation not usually seen in the role...."

This was the most amazing production of Cabaret I have ever seen. It stripped the show of its glitzy Liza Minnelli image and cut right to the soul of the tale.... what power the show had. I have never been moved close to tears with the show before, but when Emma Dean who played Sally Bowles, sang Cabaret, it was spine tingling.

It wasn’t a fun song like it is so often sung, but a heart rendering confession about her own future; it wasn’t Elsie’s life she envied, but her death. Dean was just sensational as the brittle, self destructive English girl night club singer. She had this underlying sadness and desperation not usually seen in the role.

It was the same when she sang Maybe This Time in duet with Matthew Hadgraft as would-be Yankee author Cliff Bradshaw. There was such power in the emotions of both of them.

But the clever thing about Emma’s interpretation was the way she changed over the course of the action. When she opened up with Don’t tell Mama, she was cheeky, flirtatious good time girl just out for the fun and her Perfectly Marvellous was very similar, but the edge had crept into that song....

link to website review

Theatre People (8 August 2011)
Reviewer: Brent Downes

"....Emma Dean in particular takes the role of Sally Bowles and makes it totally her own..."

...Zen Zen Zo brings you into the drama of this piece and does so wonderfully with their delightful and auspiciously talented leads Emma Dean (Sally Bowles) and Matthew Hadgraft (Cliff Bradshaw) who deliver their roles with likeable conviction and wonderful believability. Emma Dean in particular takes the role of Sally Bowles and makes it totally her own fusing together, but never directly channeling all those classic-cum-tragic movie star heroines of yore, her singing voice is an absolute spectacle and her portrayal of a much loved classic musical figure is both contemporary and with all the flavor of a classic....

link to website review

Australian Stage (7 August 2011)
Reviewer: Kelli Rogers

....The eccentric Sally Bowles is performed by Emma Dean who brings bright vocals to the stage and an acting performance that is lightly sassy. When she holds the spotlight for the famous number, “Cabaret”, she sings with resolve to reveal Sally’s emotional vulnerability and foolhardy determination to remain performing....

link to website review

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"Stripped" (solo show)
2011 Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival, Tuxedo Cat, 5 June 2011

Stripped (solo show)
Australian Stage website (7 June 2011)
Reviewer:Joanna Bowen

"....Emma is the spirit of cabaret, every part of her body engaged in her music....Take any chance to see this songstress...."

One short evening with Emma Dean barely taps the surface of this gorgeous gothic pixie. I left the Tuxedo Cat feeling intrigued, delighted and with more than a bit of an artist crush.

Stripped is about removing superfluity, stripping down to the skeleton of this cabaret songstress’s art. She is left with a basic stage, a couple of costumes, and herself, replete with a stunning unitard. No backing band, no other performers, just her keyboard, body and voice.

And as we discover, absolutely nothing else is needed. Emma is the spirit of cabaret, every part of her body engaged in her music. It flows from her mouth and fingertips, ever morphing to create different characters and sounds, each song pushing the boundaries of the last. Her eyes enchant you, and watching her face for a full hour does not allow a heartbeat of disengagement. Her bare feet tell her stories, as does her strange way of sitting on a piano stool. Her energy is joyous, uninhibited and seemingly endless.

She takes us through four scenes from herself and her imagination, allowing us insight to the neuroses of a cabaret artist such as herself, leading us through heartbreak and subsequent heart failures, followed by a short introduction to collaboration and lastly, an explanation of her decision to run away to the circus, having found herself a social outcast.

For this performance, Emily Davis acted as MC-come-Intermission-Songstress, providing hilarious ukelele-supported song snippets to distract us through Emma’s onstage costume changes. In the collaborative scene, Emily brought out her guitar and Emma her violin to give us a new and delicious version of Tori Amos’ Cornflake Girl.

Musically, the show was a compilation of Emma’s own songs and others, ranging from the opener from the musical Cabaret, through Willy Wonka’s “Oompa Loompa” tunes to Smashing Pumpkins. Emma’s vocal range is impressive, and the timbre of her high notes bring a beautifully haunting quality to known tunes. She creates a unique character for every song, using her facial expressions, hands, arms, feet, and of course, those gorgeous eyes. Emma is a strikingly versatile and multi-talented performer, who embellishes her musical craft with a capturing stage presence and a real talent for creating the characters to brilliantly tell the stories in her music.

Take any chance to see this songstress. She bravely follows her artistic instincts, infusing her performances with her own distinct energy. Here’s hoping she finds herself back in Adelaide!

link to web review (accessible as at 14Jun11)

Stripped (solo show)
Adelaide ArtBeat website 8 June 2011
Reviewer: Jane Durbridge

"The delightful hour has ended and it’s gone all too fast.... We had to shake off the trance of her performance to step back into the colder, wetter, winters night."

On a wet winters night The Tuxedo Cat, with its high vaulted ceilings, was chilly. I was tweeting this fact when I received a reply tweet from Emma Dean herself! This was going to be fun.

As Dean is introduced to the stage with its simple set of a red curtain, a dressmakers dummy, her keyboard, dressed in her aforementioned black unitard. With no costume distractions, we are drawn to her beautiful face painted white with 1 eye green and bright red lips. And then she sings.

There’s a little bit of Master of Ceremonies (Joel Gray) from Cabaret as she headlines the show spectacularly with a similar enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment. She takes us through Part 1 while engaging intimately with each audience member, creating a rapport that helps leads us through her story in speech, song and movement.

At the first interval, we’re introduced to Emily Davis, who successfully distracts us, while Emma is changing into her next costume by incongruously yet humorously singing the ‘Shoe Shed’ theme on her ukulele!

Part 2 for Dean is all about ‘heartbreak and heart failure’. It’s evident now we see her stripped to the bare essentials, vulnerability and strength pouring from the lyrics in her songs. Her voice is beautiful and compelling and she has a commanding performance on stage …we can’t help but be drawn into her stories.

In Part 3, Dean asks Davis to collaborate and we then have the opportunity to appreciate how versatile they are as they change instruments to play the violin and guitar respectively on a version of the Tori Amos Cornflake Girl song: a great success.

Joel Gray is channelled again in the circus atmosphere of Part 4, entitled “Dear Mother & Father, I have become an outcast of society and I don’t know why, therefore I have decided to run away to the circus.”

The delightful hour has ended and it’s gone all too fast. Luckily, we are all so appreciative we’re treated to an encore, but even after that we still want more. We had to shake off the trance of her performance to step back into the colder, wetter, winters night.

For more on Emma Dean, take a look at the our interview with her!

link to web review (accessible as at 10Jun11

Stripped (solo show)
Cabaret Confessional.com 7 June 2011
Reviewer: Lena Nobuhara Associate Editor, Cabaret Confessional

"...This stripped down version of her show puts a solid focus on Emma Dean’s unique gift as a singer/songwriter/storyteller. Here’s hoping she’ll continue to flourish performing solo and unleash even more of her bewitching charm."

Pop cabaret songstress Emma Dean has created a quirky, flamboyant world with her ‘imaginary friends’. In this solo show, she dares to strip down – literally and figuratively. She strips for costume changes, and it’s a departure from her usual visual extravaganza with multiple performers. It’s simply Dean in a black unitard, Betty the mannequin and occasional appearances by her guest star Emily Davis. Even the songs have a minimalistic approach and are laid bare.

Dean’s take on cabaret is light on banter and heavy on storytelling through her lyrics, and it works. Her distinctive, soaring voice carries detailed nuances and emotions of each number. Her original songs, including the US top 15 single “Sincerely Fearful” from her latest album Dr Dream Imaginary Pop-Cabaret, are honest and imaginative. They all reflect her rich, magical universe. The deliciously decadent interpretation of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullets with Butterfly Wings” is a revelation.

This stripped down version of her show puts a solid focus on Emma Dean’s unique gift as a singer/songwriter/storyteller. Here’s hoping she’ll continue to flourish performing solo and unleash even more of her bewitching charm.

link to web review (accessible as at 10Jun11)

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Something They Can Hold Tour
The Basement Sydney, 14 May 2011

The [AU] Review Website - review posted 22 May 2011
Reviewer: Johnny Au

"...what this talented musician brings is a theatrical experience that is quite unique in the Australian music industry. Emma Dean is one to watch for 2011."

Emma Dean brought her Something They Can Hold tour to The Basement in Sydney. For those that don't know Emma's music it can be best described as theatre mixed with cabaret mixed with pop. But what this multi talented artist brings to the stage is finely crafted songs which blends in with heightened sense of drama. This was most evident with the costumes Emma wore during the performance. For the first part of the show she was the amazing bride in a wedding dress and in the second half of the show she was dressed in an all black outfit which portrayed half Morticia Adams and half black widow. Was Emma contrasting the black & white within her personality? I'll leave that up to the audience members to decide. But what this talented musician brings is a theatrical experience that is quite unique in the Australian music industry. Emma Dean is one to watch for 2011.

link to web review (accessed as at 24 May 2011

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Dr Dream & the Imaginary Pop-Cabaret CD Launch
@ The Old Museum Brisbane 26 Nov 2010

Time Off Magazine Brisbane 1 December 2010 Issue No 1504
Reviewer: Matt O'Neill

"Taken as a theatrical experience...Dean's work is actually quite brilliant....With scant resources, Dean has created something magical...."

Extract from longer review

....Emma Dean has, of course, strived to blend the theatrical and musical in her creative work for the majority of her solo career. With tonight’s showing, she presents a performance of such syncretism as to make it almost impossible to evaluate solely as a musical or a theatrical experience – though such unity does come at a price. Taken as a musical experience, Dean’s performance tonight is a somewhat impersonal one. The gifted songstress delivers pitch-perfect renditions of well-written numbers like Sincerely Fearful and Waiting Room but is so finely rehearsed as to surrender the wild humanity that makes her work so compelling.

Taken as a theatrical experience, however, Dean’s work is actually quite brilliant. Her performers are precise, talented and entertaining (Walter Davis-Hart a particular standout as Dr Dream) and the show’s concept is well-considered and wonderfully executed – even down to lighting and costuming. With scant resources, Dean has created something magical.

Still, the most magical moment of the night comes from Dean’s overwhelmed expression of gratitude at the night’s conclusion – suggesting her work could benefit immeasurably if she could infuse her theatrics with a touch more vulnerability and honesty.

link to web version of review (accessible as at 7Dec10)

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Dr Dream & the Imaginary Pop-Cabaret CD Launch
@ The Ravel Sydney 20 Nov 2010

insomniaradio.net (The Insomnia Radio Network) 20 November 2010
Reviewer: ERK

"....Quite simply, Emma Dean is an entertainment machine.... The crowd reaction was fantastic. The sell out crowd barely had time to breathe between songs...."

Quite simply, Emma Dean is an entertainment machine. She sings (rather well with a dynamic range), plays the keys (albeit at times overshadowed by everything else going on around her) and performs with a full stage of performers including her 3 imaginary friends. The stage at The Raval in Sydney is not the biggest so it was crowded with Emma (with mic stand & keyboard), her 3 imaginary friends & her drummer (with full drum kit) all competing for room. If everyone had of stayed where they were, it would not have been a big hassle. However, one simply does not get onto stage at this show and expect to remain nailed to the one spot. That is impossible.

During Erk’s initial album review, he said:

“The music is a lot different to what I am used to. If you listen at one level, you could be excused for thinking that the music is merely up-vibe and interesting, almost as if you are at a circus or a cabaret show. In my case, it sounds like what I imagine a cabaret show to be like through watching TV. It could be argued that you only get half the effect by only listening to the music. To get the full effect, take a close listen to the music. If you are not fortunate enough to be in Emma Dean’s audience, sit back and imagine what it would be like. When you do listen very closely to the words, you may be surprised at what you are actually listening to.”

Having now seen the show, it now gives some new perspective that a listener might not get if they only listened to the music. There was so much to focus on during the show. There was the musical side to the performance. Needless to say, the song Sincerely Fearful was a highlight. The musical side of the performance was very strong. Some people may be happy merely listening to the music without the visuals. The music is easy to listen to live and was not remarkably different to how it sounded on the album with the exception of some added sound effects and samples of Emma singing. What makes this show different, exciting and breathtaking is the performance element. Albeit that Erk can only judge based on seeing one show (so far), the performances by everyone on stage were outstanding and at times quite physical. Working in a confined space might not have been ideal – it would be interesting to see the show on a larger stage. To be able to achieve the high standard of dance & choreography that was displayed must have taken a lot of work and practice. It is hard enough to either sing or play an instrument or dance or perform – try combining all of those elements at once!

The crowd reaction was fantastic. The sell out crowd barely had time to breathe between songs. As soon as one song had finished, the next one had started. There was no inane chitchat between the songs as can happen at other gigs – the emphasis was on the entertainment and keeping the on-stage energy levels high throughout the whole set. The venue was very intimate with many chairs, stools and lounges filled with people. Many more people (Erk included) were standing while others were sitting on the floor. No one seemed to care – they were all enjoying the show. The biggest shame about the show (apart from the fact that it ended) is that many people do not know about the talents of Emma Dean. The intimate surroundings were to her advantage but she does deserve to be more well known than what she is at the moment. You will need to keep both ears and eyes open for her – you will enjoy the journey inside her head! If you get the chance to see Emma live, go and do it. (If you do go to one of her shows, dress up in fancy dress. She likes that.) Otherwise, visit her website and see some videos and listen to the music. Either way, you will be glad you did, especially if you like this style of music!

link to review site (accessible as at 23Nov10)

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Link to Broadway World 5Aug10 news item (accessible link as at 10Nov10)

Extract from The Butterfly Club Media Release

....Emma Dean was today announced winner of the prestigious annual ‘Under Our Wing Award’, Australia’s top award given to emerging cabaret performers.

Emma is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music and performances delve into the magical world where live music meets theatre. Emma’s theatrical fascination led her to the decadent world of cabaret in early 2009....

...‘The mixture of a well-written storyline and amazing vocal and musical talent ensured the audience was captivated throughout the entire performance. Emma Dean's unique cabaret style is especially unique and a pleasure to watch’ – ninemsn.com.au (2010)

‘... curious, funny, astute and above all, weird. She could well stake a good claim to be the new Millennium’s Kate Bush with her theatrical approach to music ...’ – Album Review – allgigs.co.uk (2009).

About the award:
The Butterfly Club’s David Read said “the Under Our Wing Award is given by the venue to outstanding emerging cabaret performers who in our opinion deserve much more recognition than they are currently receiving.”

Emma joins luminaries Tim Minchin (2003), Daniel Maloney (2004), Reuben Krum (2005), Sammy J (2006), Karin Muiznieks (2007), Joanne O’Callaghan and James Simpson (2008) and Tom Dickins (2009)....

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Emma Dean (...Meets Dr Dream)
@ the Raval, Sydney, 1st May 2010

www.yourgigs.com (NineMSN - review posted 10 May 2010)
Reviewer: Elise Vout

"The mixture of a well-written storyline and amazing vocal and musical talent ensured the audience was captivated throughout the entire performance. Emma Dean's uniquecabaret style is especially unique and a pleasure to watch...."

The performance of Emma Dean (...Meets Dr Dream) started off with an eerie opening as Dr Dream set the scene for the audience and prepared them for what was in store - a dissection of his patient's sanity.

The mixture of a well-written storyline and amazing vocal and musical talent ensured the audience was captivated throughout the entire performance. Emma Dean's unique cabaret style is especially unique and a pleasure to watch.

The show was a more contemporary style of cabaret. At times Dr Dream's character showed inflections of Liza Minnelli in the Broadway movie Cabaret. Dean is well trained vocally and musically, which shone through her onstage presence and performance. She also showed exceptional skill in piano, she was phenomenal to watch, and faultless, as she accompanied herself while she sang throughout the performance.

The narrative throughout kept the story exciting and ensured the audience's attention was held right until the very end. The packed-out performance last weekend is testament to her cult fans, some who dressed too in cabaret theme. The audience was left wanting more, and Dean's performance brought hope that this style of performance might become a regular fixture in Sydney's entertainment scene.

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