Photo – www.blueprintstudios.com.auIn his one man cabaret show, Killing Time, Mitchell Butel instantly engages the audience with his vivacious, twinkling charm and then dazzles them with his show-biz pizzazz. It is a beautifully conceived vehicle to showcase Butel’s versatility as an actor, comedian and singer and presents his trademark ebullience. Teamed with a small, tight band lead by Musical Director, Daryl Wallis on keyboard, Michael Galeazzi on double bass and Joe Accaria on drums, Butel delivers an evening that is dynamic, elegant and witty from beginning to end.
The songs are cleverly grouped around the different times of the day, starting with the morning rush to work through afternoon and evening to the early hours of the next day. They deal with various notions of time: aging, the getting of wisdom, mortality, taking stock of achievements and the ephemeral nature of time itself in which pleasures flash by yet grief seems to linger.
Butel and Wallis have assembled a sophisticated repertoire that moves seamlessly between show tunes, jazz standards and way beyond. Pink Floyd, Thelonious Monk and Louis Jordan sit happily with Sondheim, Berlin, Bernstein and Ellington. In a show about time, I was expecting Sondheim’s Time Heals Everything, but it didn’t appear. Butel’s intelligent curation of songs avoids the predictable in favour of an eclectic repertoire that nevertheless gives audiences exactly what they want even though they didn’t know they wanted it. And that is Killing Time’s strength. This freshness continually offers new delights. Just when Butel has lulled the audience into thinking he is a crooner like Mel Tormé, he delivers a side-splitting rendition of Way Ahead of My Time, Peter Mills’ caveman song from The Taxi Cabaret. Other highlights include Louis Jordan’s bluesy Early in the Morning, Sondheim’s Now You Know and Mann & Hilliard’s In the Wee Small Hours.
Mitchell Butel has a beautiful voice, particularly in his upper register. A natural performer, he knows how to give every song its due. He has equal flair when revealing the emotional nuance of an intimate jazz number as delivering an animated, theatrical performance for a comic routine.
Butel very quickly establishes a rapport with his audience as he talks to them all the way through the show, responding to the crowd and measuring how his jokes are working. His easy confidence and upbeat, self-deprecating sense of humour is very likeable. He shares stories about his personal response to aging as well as quotes and poems on the theme of time. One fabulous quote about how he hopes to be remembered is by the brilliant U.S. comedian, Milton Berle. The anecdotes and musings give another layer to the show, making it that much richer and more enjoyable.
This thoroughly enjoyable cabaret is by a consummate Australian performer, whose schedule is otherwise full of theatre, film and television work. It is only showing for four Sundays so, if you want to see it you had better be quick.
Neil Gooding in association with Hayes Theatre Co. presents
Killing Time
Mitchell Butel
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point
Dates: Nov 9, 23, 30 and Dec 7, 2014
Tickets: $40 – $35
Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au | 02 8065 7337
