I'll Have What He's Having - Cabaret Review

What: I'll Have What He's Having
When: 22 January - 5 February 2019
Where: Hare and Hyenas
Created and Performed by: Adrian Barila
Accompanies by: Rainer Pollard

Adrian Barila

Midsumma is a festival which explores a spectrum of human pleasures and Barila expands this notion in I'll Have What He's Having at Hares and Hyenas. This one man (plus accompanist - Pollard) cabaret has Barila showing us why he hides his Donna Hay magazines inside gay porn mags.

I'll Have What He's Having was created by Barila in 2015 whilst at Federation Uni and was remounted in 2016. Throughout the show Barila sings his way through his obsessions with desserts and sausage meats, expertly accompanied by Pollard who expands his role to straight man/side kick occassionally for food tastings.

Barila takes us on a crazy ride of 'Afternoon Delights' including an Asian snack lucky dip, creating an Eton Mess along the way. He has even written a book on the art of mastication!

I learnt a new term at this show. Apparently there is a new trend (emerging from Korea?) called the mush bang. It is a fetish involving watching people eat.

Barila takes us on an aural mush bang of his own. For those of you who can't stand it when a colleague eats carrots for lunch, this show may be challenging although I admit I did find listening to someone chew something crunchy quite sensual - but then, I am a soundie...

Barila has a well trained singing voice and his subconscious default of standing in first position with a permanently activated core indicate he is a classically trained dancer - although this is not the show to demonstrate that skill. Unfortunately, choosing to take the stage for what is meant to be an elongated sensory stimulation is not helped by being a white man in a white t-shirt and grey stonewash jeans. It's like being the vanilla in neopolitan icecream - tastes great, but what you really get excited about is the chocolate and strawberry. Barila is good but right now he is the chorus, not the principal.

Barila does really have a passion for food - or sweets at least - and you can check out his food vlog, Barila Bakes, to find the most unusual recipes for doughnuts and Kit Kats. In I'll Have What He's Having he shares this passion with the audience with a good amount of interaction and don't worry, they check for food allergies before the show so you are safe!

I'll Have What He's Having is fully baked and as sweet as pie. One of the great highlights is Barila's Cheezel fingers fan dance!

2.5