Features

Dolly Diamond set to dazzle in STAR FOR A NIGHT

Dolly is bringing a brand new contest down under!

For one week only, absolute gem Dolly Diamond will be dazzling audiences with a slew of special guests including Silvie Paladino and Rhonda Burchmore for a show like no other in Star For A Night. Each guest will transform into an entertainment idol of their choice, performing their favourite songs. It’s a fabulous return to the theatre, and what better time than as part of the Midsumma festival?

Dolly Diamond

Dolly Diamond is one of Australia’s most loved cabaret and comedy personalities. Originally hailing from the UK, she moved to Australia in 2009 an

d has definitely made her mark. She has had successful cabaret seasons as part of Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Fringe World Perth, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, and more. In 2014, she was awarded Artist of the Year at the inaugural GLOBE Community Awards. But her work extends beyond the stage – she is an ambassador for Guide Dogs Victoria, Movember, the Children’s Tumor Foundation, and The LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Foundation, and works with a variety of other Victorian LGBT+ organisations such as the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Pride March Victoria, and the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus.

With her show opening in just a few days, we had a chat to the delightful Dolly about what audiences can expect from Star For A Night.

Are you excited to be part of Midsumma?

Midsumma always rolls around quite quickly when it’s in January, so having it in April is a little odd. Luckily I’m quite odd too, so I’m so ready for it. Hopefully people are ready to get back into all the venues and support all the different shows.

How did you come up with the idea for this show?

Star for a night is based on the U.K TV show “Stars In Their Eyes” and I seem to have a bit of a love affair with that genre, having staged Blankety Blanks around Australia. They obviously have the benefit of a time delay when the contestants transform into their music idols, we do it differently and hopefully funnier.

What is your favourite thing about cabaret?

I’ve always found my happy place in cabaret, because you’re only limited by your own imagination. You can pretty much create anything you like and it’s up to you how you perform it.

Why should people come and see Star For A Night?

I’m hoping people fancy something a little different from me this year. I’ve always been tremendously supported by the Midsumma audiences and I’m so grateful for that. Hopefully I’ll see you all in the Chapel!


Dolly Diamond’s Star For A Night plays at Chapel off Chapel from April 21 to 24.

For tickets and more information, visit the Chapel off Chapel Website.

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.

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