Originally streamed as ‘Friday Night Live!’ during the great lockdown of 2020, ‘FNL… Alive and Unlocked!’ will debut on an actual stage in Parramatta this January as part of Sydney Festival 2021.
Performer Catherine Alcorn will be joined by her comedy legend co-host Paul McDermott along with maestro Daniel Edmonds. Resident goddess Verushka Darling will also be with the gang to wrangle an array of guests in a night of music, comedy and cabaret.
Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catherine said it is amazing to see the idea turned into a live stage show.
“When COVID stopped my work as a touring artist I knew I had to do something, so we built a virtual venue and hosted an old school variety show each Friday night for a five-week season,” she said.
“We were going to present a second digital season, but the world started to re-open again, so we are playing across a week for the festival instead.”
Featuring some familiar faces from the original series and some fresh new talent, Catherine said it will be jam-packed full of special performances.
“My co-host for the season will be master of mischief Mr Paul McDermott, who will be premiering brand new material and we have some stars of screen and stage such as Ben Mingay and Marney McQueen,” she said.
“Comic legends Wendy Harmer and Jean Kitson will be reprising some roles and characters they played 30 years ago, so we will see where they are, what and who they have been doing, which will have me fan-girling.”
Directed by TV comedy legend Ted Robinson, Catherine said there will be surprises in every show.
“The first season had fans from all around the world tuning in so we will be streaming three of the performances for those who can’t watch in person,” she said.
“We will have a core cast but special guest appearances all week, so audiences will never see the same show twice and could come back multiple times if they pleased.”
Paul McDermott said it’s a show that everyone will love, with plenty of laughter to be found.
“It’s the Sideshow on steroids. It’s the Avengers assemble of cabaret. The line-up is the best of the best from Cath’s Filofax,” he joked.
‘FNL… Alive and Unlocked!’ will be on at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta from Thursday, January 7 to Saturday, January 9. Tickets from $49.90. To book, visit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au.
