“It explores the experiences of love across generations and how each time we love we discover who we really are,” Imogenexplains. “It’s not chronological, it jumps around a bit. But it follows one woman at different points in her life and her experiences with love.”
There are some confronting scenes, Imogen says, ultimately culminating in a dark cabaret performance. But while there is this overarching mood in the show, it aims to give its audience a well-rounded approach to the topic and certainly has its moments of light as well.
“It has it’s highs and lows, but I think it does leave the audience with a positive message about embracing who you are and finding your place in the world,” Imogen says.
Impressively, Lost In Love is this powerhouse teenager’s first major attempt at cabaret. Heavily inspired by those she had seen perform in the style before, she soon knew that she wanted to give this craft a go too. In particular, it was her long time vocal coach Trevor Jones, whom she watched hold down shows at one of Melbourne’s premier cabaret venues, that drove Imogen to want to have her own show.
“I went to see his weekly show at the Butterfly Club and I just fell in love with the scene. Seriously, it’s the happiest place on earth where everyone is accepted,” she explains. “I really love the freedom of cabaret; pretty much anything goes. It can be laugh out loud and irreverent or it can be seriously art-house or dark.”
The darkness found in Lost In Love has proven a creative challenge for Imogen. With a background largely in vocal performance, dipping her toes into the world of cabaret has enabled her to embrace a different mood on stage. She also acknowledges that the kind of niche audience she will be performing to is some new found territory for her as well.
“[Cabaret] is quite intimate and it’s been challenging trying to get my head around that, but I really want to make the whole experience something worthwhile for my audience,” she says.
Helping her to further her creative growth, Imogen has been surrounded by a host of mentors during the writing and production stages of Lost In Love. A highly collaborative process, she worked with director Neil Gladwin and musical director Shanon Whitelock in nutting out all the aspects of the show, from its story and musical score to its stagecraft elements. Despite a career in performing that spans for most of her whole life, Imogen maintains that she still has a lot to learn, but she was certainly able to gain plenty of advice from her mentors throughout the development of this show.
She says it’s been a long process bringing all of these elements from their infant stages to where they are now, but ultimately it’s the coordination of all of these intricately chosen parts that makes Lost In Love tick.
Shanon Whitelock’s impeccably crafted score is a particular highlight for the star of this cabaret. He and Imogen have collaborated on various other projects before, and she was excited to have the opportunity to do so again.
“I just love working with him, I think he’s a genius and a gentleman,” she says. “He’s really good at helping me understand the mood of the character and the songs, and he stretches me musically which is really fun.”
Thrilled with the bill of tracks Shanon has picked, Imogen says the line up is powerful and eclectic. It’s set to feature a mix of classics from all-stars including the likes of k.d lang, Nina Simone and Rufus Wainwright, and, it’s no question that if her performance history is anything to go by, then Imogen’s renditions of such commanding songs is surely going to send spines tingling.
Tied together with the set design, costume and lighting elements and Lost In Love is bound to stun. It’s been interesting for Imogen to dabble in these stagecraft areas as well she says, given she hasn’t necessarily always had to think about these things much before.
“It’s been really good to explore different ideas of how a stage can work, from things like set design and lighting, which as a singer I wouldn’t normally be looking at,” she says. “I didn’t realise how important those things are in putting on a good show.”
Ultimately for Imogen, Lost In Love has been an incredibly stimulating creative challenge. She’s taken a profound amount of knowledge and experience away from the process of putting her first cabaret show together, and what’s more she hopes her audience will take a lot away from viewing it.
“I think every person that comes to the show will be able to relate it to their own experience somehow,” she says.“I know for some people Lost In Love will trigger their own memories of love, and I hope for them it can bring some sort of joy and perhaps it can be a time of reflection… [The show is] short and sweet and to the point, but it will leave you with so much more.”
By Abbey Lew-Kee
