Preview: Will You Take This Woman?

WILL YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN?

Preview: Kathryn Kernohan

A DISTURBING experience became the inspiration behind Hannah Day’s debut one-woman cabaret show, Will You Take This Woman? which opens at the Butterfly Club next week.

Day had a knock at her South Melbourne door, and standing on the doorstep was a man trying to sell her a newspaper subscription.

When the 21-year-old declined the offer – ‘‘I’m a full-time uni student, living out of home, working three jobs and I still eat Homebrand’’ – she thought that would be the end of it.

‘‘He told me how attractive he thought I was, and unfortunately he already had my mobile number and over the following days proceeded to text and call me over and over again, even offering to meet up with me.’’

In the hour-long show, Day plays a character she calls her alter ego, who is in love with a man she has never met.

The show came about almost by accident. Last year, Day had to write and perform 10 minutes of cabaret for her musical theatre studies at Patrick Studios Australia. After her performance, Butterfly Club manager Xander Woollard approached her and invited her to expand it to an hour and perform at the venue.

‘‘I feel so, so honoured to be performing at such a venue. It’s more than I could ever ask for my first show,’’ she says.

Performing has been in Day’s blood for years – she started learning piano at age five, the bassoon at 12 and in high school dabbled in clarinet, acoustic and bass guitar.

‘‘I only found singing and discovered my adoration for theatre around five years ago, so it’s been a wild ride since then,’’ she says.

The production includes two original songs alongside reworked cover material by Kate Miller-Heidke (‘‘she’s my biggest idol’’), Kate Bush, Queen and Bob Dylan.

‘‘There’s also a couple of contemporary musical theatre pieces in the mix too. Ultimately, I’d like to write shows one day completely comprised of my own music.’’

Adult tickets $22. Details: visit thebutterflyclub.com.