The Adelaide Fringe described A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride like this ‘A joyous homage to resilience, fabulousness, & the enduring power of music. Making his long-awaited solo cabaret debut, Lindsay Prodea—multi-award-winning Adelaide performer—invites you to a celebration of queer icons & unforgettable anthems. Featuring timeless hits from Madonna, Judy Garland, Elton John, Lady Gaga, & many others, this nostalgic hour explores the rich history of queer music & honours the hit-makers who sparked historic change with their songs & stories. Backed by a stellar 4-piece band, this world premiere blends soul-stirring vocals with heartfelt storytelling in a vibrant tribute to the LGBTQIA+ visibility, acceptance, & pride’.
A Friend of Dorothy: Anthems of Pride was all of this and more. Playing to a packed house at Plant 4, Bowden, Prodea engaged the audience from the very beginning. There were many in feather boas and sequinned bits and bobs who danced their way through the show. Not only was the music seductive but Prodea himself was seductive, earnestly telling stories from his own life plus stories of the broader queer community, in Adelaide and further afield. This is a feel good show without doubt, but it also sought to look at the LGBTI+ community’s shared history and everything that has gone into making queer spaces safer and the broader public better informed.
The panel held on the 1st of March, directly after the first show, covered a lot of terrain, including exploring the impact of discrimination on mental health, the history of the AIDS response in Adelaide and the range of programs and resources available today. On the panel (shown left to right) were Margie Fischer (Independent community cultural worker), Steve Moran (SHINE), Taimee Allen, Commissioner for Mental Health, Kevin Burrett (Retired nurse instrumental in setting up Adelaide’s first AIDS/ HIV clinic) and Monty Khizam (Rainbow Hub SA/ Thorne Harbour Health). Performer Lindsay Prodea sat on the right. Adjudicated by one of Adelaide Fringe’s Wellbeing team, Tatiana Horne, the panel took questions as varied as how you might set up a queer cafe to Thorne Harbour’s Sustainable Style workshops to how to fund LGBTIQA+ community projects. RHSA thanks the Adelaide Fringe for their generosity in organising the panel discussion and providing complimentary tickets.
You can still catch plenty of shows, including this one, until Sunday 16 March. Visit the Adelaide Fringe Website and search for LGBTQIA+.
Photo: Trish Kerwood
