A new weekly musical experience ‘The Playroom’ launches tonight at Malt Supper Club.
The opulent club on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley will present a musical offering each week starting with jazz singer Cathrine Summers ‘European Cotton Club -Great Gatsby Experience’.
Following a sell out season during Fringe World the local singer is back with a show that mixes up old standards, cool jazz, French and Spanish numbers and some modern songs with a special jazz twist. Cathrine’s show includes numbers from the 1920’s and songs featured on the soundtrack to ‘The Great Gatsby’.
Summer tells out in Perth that she thinks Malt Supper Club has something special to offer explaining that the shows will be delivered in a theatre style set up.
“It really welcomes that kind of show style, it’s got those red curtains, lush carpets, diamante chandeliers and chaise lounges. It’s just a fabulous venue for all types of people.”
Seeing the venue embrace a new weekly live music event is something Summers sees as a positive step given the recent closure of a few well known spaces and raised concern in the local artistic community.
“It’s been really sad to see some places closing, some of them were institutions.I think the nice part of this space is it’s intimacy… I really like playing in intimate venues.” Summers said.
The singer previously delivered her sell-out show at the venue during Fringe World, so she knows what its like to perform at Malt Supper Club.
“At the end of every show I just wanted to take everyone home,” Summers proclaimed, “It so close and friendly I’d just want to hang out afterwards.”
Summers can’t really pinpoint where her love of singing came from, she said like most singers she probably came out the womb singing, but she didn’t come from a musical family.
“My Dad’s tone deaf and my Mum and brother are both scientists,” Summers laughs, “My Dad’s a scientist too.”
A love of old films and escapism is where Summers sees her musical beginnings, having been bullied at school she found a haven in black and white movies and old musicals.
“I loved Elvis’s films, and anything with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers I was all over it, ‘Easter Parade’ was on constant rerun in our house. Later I discovered Motown, which my Dad was a big fan of, and once you get in to Motown and begin to discover its roots, then you get into jazz and musicals, and the American songbook.”
Older songs which tell a story is something Summers find appealing, citing the incredible lyrics of Cole Porter.
“Look at a song like ‘Love for Sale’, which was originally sung in a musical by a character in a play who was a prostitute, ‘I’ve got every kind of old love, new love, every kind but true love’. Some of the songs Cole Porter wrote couldn’t be played in mainstream places, I think they were far more risque back then than we are today.” Summers said.
Summers said it was really hard to work out which songs to include in the set list for her show as there were so many different styles she wanted to include but the key ingredient for Summers is she has to be able to share it with the audience in an entertaining style.
“Your’re telling story, somebody wrote each song from a place of emotion.” Summer said.
Summers is the first of many acclaimed artists taking to the stage at ‘The Playroom’.
Cathrine Summers‘ ‘European Cotton Club – Great Gatsby Experience’ opens ‘The Playroom‘ tonight at Malt Supper Club at 667 Beuafort St, Mount Lawley. Ticket can be purchased from Ticketbooth.
Next Mama Red and the Blues will perform, Belleville Gypsy Swing appear on August 6, Bang Bang Betty and the H-Bombs will move in August 13, The Glyn MacDonald Group featuring Bronwyn Sprogowski will be there on August 20, and Peta Lee and the Vibrolators will be in the house on August 27.
Graeme Watson
