Not sure how to say this, but WOW, WOW, and WOW!
The Joe Louis & Friends: Late Night Cabaret show just dazzled and amazed the enthralled audience. It felt like such an honour to be at the iconic Ellington Jazz Club on one of the final nights of FRINGE WORLD being regaled by such a vivacious, multi-talented host and his equally outstanding Friends!
This was a truly classy nightclub experience, the kind you would always dream of having, full of sequins and professional cabaret performers pounding out glorious music on the piano and belting out magnificent show tunes. Joe Louis Robinson, who boasted about “bringing homosexuals together since 2001,” donned a gorgeous blue floral suit with a statement brooch. He made himself comfortable behind a stunning Yamaha grand piano, leading us through numerous Broadway and other favourites.
Being Valentine’s Day, he focused on break-up songs, to include Anastacia’s “Left Outside Alone” and Miley Cyrus’s “I Can Love Me Better” and commented on monotonous monogamy, all of which made the audience howl with delight. For people sitting up front, they were often a target of Joe’s fun, playful barbs throughout the show, but in a good way. Joe’s friends for this evening were the stars Penny Shore, Greg Jerema, and Elethea Sartorelli.
Accompanied by Joe on piano who also sang, they treated the audience to classics such as Fame, All That Jazz, One Note, and Disclosure, their soaring vocals stunning the audience. Elethea improvised Liza Minelli, who then in turn improvised random personalities like the Grinch and Annie. So impromptu and creative!
We enjoyed a grand finale that involved some dancing. There were solos and duets – the only thing lacking this evening was all of them on stage together singing a quartet. Perhaps next time! Joe lamented that this was his last show, because he had run out of friends; however, to the contrary, he made about 100 new friends (and total fans)!
After experiencing this final Joe Louis & Friends performance, my main regret is not seeing his earlier shows at this FRINGE season. Look for him and his friends around Perth, though, and at FRINGE WORLD 2026.