the feast of argentina
A supper show… sumptuous food… stupendous stories. The sangria is cool, the charcoal meats are sizzling, the seafood is plump, the strawberries tumble one upon the other in abandon.
Moira Finucane’s magnificent, rapacious, sensuous and outrageous storyteller Argentina Gina Catalina – acclaimed throughout the world for her feats of daring, sensuality and fervour – seduces her audience with spellbinding frocks, gob-smacking tales and delectable morsels. Arrive for sangria, and tumble inside for stories and supper.
Commissioned by the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2007, The Feast brings together Moira Finucane’s outrageous diva Argentina with fairground icon and gourmand KT Prescott to create a whirlwind of tales and tastes. From the sizzling Opera Houses of Madrid, to the alleys of Barcelona with her 12 bulging dogs looking for meat; from markets bursting with pomegranates and suckers of squids; to mayhem on the high seas surrounded by 2,000 pirates and a sea boiling with piranhas, from her childhood spent worshipped by wolves, killer whales, bandidoes and bears in the Arctic circle, to a small cake made of fire and the love of the Virgin and her ascension into the sun … The Feast is a wild and delicious manifestation of Argentina’s most extraordinary tales.
Specialising in local and seasonal produce, and the very best of local providores The Feast concocts a menu straight from Argentina’s wildest moments – ice-cream icebergs with blood on the snow coulis, platters of mountain cured meats, dishes bursting with the fruits of the sea, cakes direct from the Virgin, sangria, rosé, sizzling chorizo, fruits tumbling one upon the other in abandon. Literary and luscious, there is no better way to spend your supper time.
CREATORS
Creators: Moira Finucane & Jackie Smith
Argentina Gina Catalina written & performed by Moira Finucane
Director: Jackie Smith
Feast Gourmand: KT Prescott with Feats
Food stylists: Cath Carmody & Betty Siemers
Set Designer: Esther Hayes
Costume Designer: David Anderson
Lighting Designer: Kerry Ireland & Bronwyn Pringle
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
Nov 2010 Adelaide Feast Festival
Mar 2010: La Mama Theatre, Melbourne
Mar 2009: La Mama Theatre, Melbourne
Jun 2007: Premiere season Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre
Jun 2007: Sneak preview La Mama Theatre, Melbourne
The Feast of Argentina Gina Catalina was commissioned by The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, and premiered at the Adelaide Festival Centre with the support of La Mama Theatre.
Reviews
“Moira Finucane, in The Feast of Argentina Gina Catalina, goes down as having delivered one of the all-time great performances of this festival. In tales of romantic adventure that grow ever more bizarre and bloodcurdling in their imagery, Finucane is utterly enthralling … a sensory onslaught like no other”
THE AUSTRALIAN
Moira Finucane’s latest one-woman-but-what-a-woman extravaganza… is an orgy of gorgeousness, of words and music, food and drink. It is literally, a feast… Delirious, intoxicating, dazzlingly poetic.”
HERALD SUN, MELBOURNE
“Onstage, performance artist Moira Finucane becomes an embodiment of wild fantasy, creating complex confections that inflame the imagination and the senses… Argentina Gina Catalina is a Spanish adventuress with rapacious appetites. Raised by wild animals, her passions steer her from the blazing summers of Madrid to the freezing wastes of the North Pole. Everywhere she goes, she drives pirates and bandidos before her. Nothing can shake her commitment to the Virgin. Nothing, it seems, can sate her desire… Finucane has a great time with this sensuous parody – delivering these ludicrous episodes with physical intensity and camp zest, in a series of spellbinding frocks. Christou’s food gets in on the act, with some wry theatrical presentation: a meat platter arrives featuring vertebrae, followed by an orgy of seafood, a riot of fruit and vegetables, and “blood on the snow” organic ice-cream with raspberry coulis. The Feast Of Argentina Gina Catalina is a delectable performance all round… a sumptuous hour of theatre”
THE AGE, MELBOURNE
“In five daringly original monologues, she at once summed up cabaret and redefined it at the same time. Each was a mesmerising adventure tale, spun with ever increasing fantasy and overwrought romantic-sexual imagery… And as she sweeps out at the conclusion of each monologue, in roll voluptuous food platters of barbequed and cured meats, seafood and desserts that tie in cleverly with the themes of her tales. The whole experience was a marvellous sensory overload.”
ADELAIDE REVIEW
“Finucane’s delivery is seethingly forceful, and her colourfully opulent costumes, plus the rich food platters that accompany each of her monologues, all combine to make this a sensory onslaught like no other”
THE AUSTRALIAN
“The Feast of Argentina Gina Catalina combines fantastical story telling with a feast for the senses – food, wine, music, atmosphere, and most importantly, a mesmerising performance by performance artist and writer Moira Finucane make this a show not to be missed.”
AUSTRALIAN STAGE
“Moira Finucane never fails to amuse and amaze audiences. Her wild, contemporary burlesque performances are notorious and The Feast of Argentina Gina Catalina is no exception. Her creation, the vivacious and heavily accented Argentina Gina Catalina, tantalises us with her original brand of magical realism, sensual and passionate characterisation, religious references, extravagant costumes and simply delicious platters of food (by KT Prescott) delivered with a flourish by waiters between stories. Her performance, is almost as edible as the food … Finucane’s gnashing teeth, swirling skirts and piercing gaze combined with the tasty morsels, make this a feast for all the senses”
HERALD SUN, MELBOURNE
‘This opportunity was unlike any other that was provided to us. We simply loved being a part of the wonderful show and felt very accepted and appreciated. The show itself was magnificent to watch and we were thrilled
to be attending as both audience and participants.’
Neha Singh & The Geelong, Bollywood Dance Group
‘One of the most beautiful projects we have staged here. The joy of the local performers was phenomenal, they were all so grateful to be included and it showed in the brilliant performances they gave, and to work alongside and with such talented and energetic professionals. The fact that we had 6yr olds up to 82yr olds dancing in and after the show was incredible’
Rob Macleod, Venue Manager, Potato Shed, Drysdale