A Fringe-inspired dinner party with the creators of Gluttony
When your job is to create performances that capture imaginations and leave festival-goers with magical memories, you have every detail expertly under control. Except, that is, the weather … as the team behind Adelaide Fringe venue Gluttony was reminded when they hosted a Fringe-inspired dinner party.
Summer rain has been showering the state all morning and, in the Adelaide Hills, water is steadily pooling on roads and, as if to spite the season, fog is thickening in the air.
But the hosts of today’s lunch are not deterred: they are used to keeping the show going during inclement weather, so today’s unseasonal storm is a breeze.
We’re at the Norton Summit home of Elena Kirschbaum, co-director, alongside Daniel Michael, of much-loved Adelaide Fringe venue Gluttony, which has been taking over Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka every February since 2011.
Their luncheon guest list includes some of the icons who have performed at Gluttony over the years and just a couple of the people who help to give the venue its personality and vibrancy – something we have in spades here today.
When a small break in the rain finally comes, guests file outside for a little fresh air – there’s a lot of hairspray and large personalities floating around indoors.
The performers jump out immediately; it’s the glitter and the sequins and the colour, but also the height. They teeter along the stones in the garden on towering platforms and heels.
Ever the showmen, international superstar Hans, and Rouge and Rouge Goes Rogue’s Paul Westbrook spot a motorbike and immediately begin to pose on it.
Not the types to shy away from the spotlight are these Gluttony stars, Hans (aka Matt Gilbertson), Paul Westbrook, Nelya Valamanesh and Tash York.
They’re soon joined by the queen of comedy cabaret, Tash York and DJ Nelya Valamanesh, who is also a front-of-house manager.
Looking on at the shenanigans are the rest of the guests – and a couple of the brains of the operation – Gemma Clark, marketing manager (and Daniel’s wife), and design and decor manager Peter Karmel, who has sprinkled a Gluttony vibe into Elena’s dining space today.
The performers might have packed schedules, but each sets aside Adelaide Fringe every year to be with their Gluttony family.
“It’s so inclusive, no matter what gender or style of performing you do,” Tash says. “That’s why we get along so well – we interact outside of shows because of the Gluttony family that exists.”
It’s no wonder then that everyone here today has wild and wonderful memories made over the past 13 years of Gluttony.
One of Nelya’s favourite memories happened before she began performing there. “There was this wardrobe bar and every time someone would walk through, we’d sing Happy Birthday to them and ask them to make a speech,” Nelya says.
For Elena, her standout memory is when her mother and stepfather first saw Gluttony: a tremendous personal achievement which sticks in her mind.
The table has been set with some of Gluttony’s signature styling elements.
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“I remember a day in 2018 when my mum and stepdad came over from Canberra for the first time to see Gluttony,” El says. “It was the first year we invited people to the top of the hill for drinks and speeches – the precursor to our Gala.
“We’d just been to see Rouge in its first year and it was the first time I’d stepped outside and created a show as a director so I was all dressed up and giving speeches. After the show, the winds picked up and they were crazy and roaring through. I had to go on radio and I was taking all these calls trying to deal with the inclement weather and they got to see me troubleshooting and managing.
“I was really proud in that moment that they got to see me in every element.”
There have been musical highlights, of course. In the early years of Gluttony when the venue was still very small, US hip hop group De La Soul performed, and Daniel says he cried the first time Groove Terminator and Soweto Gospel Choir took to the stage for History of House (now a much-loved regular show).
But perhaps it’s Peter who has the greatest memory of all: “I met my wife at Gluttony,” he says.
Peter and his now-wife Nicole were both working front of house when they met in 2018, living in separate states, and they’ve since both moved to Adelaide.
A memorable moment for everyone enjoying today’s luncheon was the 2020 Fringe, just before the Covid global pandemic shutdown. On the Friday before the end of Fringe, the state government announced a ban on mass gatherings, to take effect on the following Monday – remarkably, the event had managed to survive in full, despite the onset of the pandemic.
A day before the gatherings-ban, the Adelaide Fringe Awards were held, with Gluttony artists sweeping the floor and Gemma remembers the feeling in the room that night.
“There was such a mix of emotions,” Gemma says. “People were being told to socially distance, but you try telling artists who have just had their work cancelled for the next six months not to hug.”
Hans says his favourite memory was the last time he performed at Gluttony before an injury kept him off the stage.
“It was the night before the lockdown. It was the end of the world and everybody just said, ‘Let’s ignore it for a minute’.”
Peter recalls visiting the Gluttony warehouse a fortnight later. “Daniel was there with a pallet of toilet paper and a pallet of booze and said, ‘Take what you want’.”
Fast forward a year and it was a very different feeling. “At the end of the 2021 season, we had about a week to go and it was the Sunday night,” Daniel says. “We spent the whole year planning for disaster that didn’t eventuate. There was no disaster, but what happened was this really beautiful festival with artists performing and people seeing shows and laughing and smiling and kids running around.
“It was amazing and I vividly remember thinking it was time to drink a bottle of Champagne – I drank several. It finally felt really alive and restriction-free.”
Today’s menu is courtesy of restaurant Comida’s Brad Sappenberghs. These smoked jowl sourdough crumpets were a hit.
Here in this room today, Covid is a mere memory. Over in the kitchen is Brad Sappenberghs– owner of Spanish restaurant Comida – and he’s preparing some familiar tastes. They’re the same dishes that were on the menu at Comida’s pop-up at a previous iteration of Gluttony.
To share, there’s mushroom and smoked cheddar croqueta, Spencer gulf prawns, sourdough crumpet with smoked jowl, a succulent roasted chicken with picada, and charred cauliflower with romesco sauce and guindillas.
We’re still some weeks out from the Gluttony season kicking off for 2024 and today is about pausing to celebrate all the team has achieved since its inception in 2011 – a time that was markedly less successful, but Daniel knew they were onto something.
Coming from a background in events – first as a DJ and then organising raves and taking bookings for HQ – Daniel knew not every event is created equally.
“From the beginning, Gluttony had heart,” he says. “It had its own personality. With some events, you’re going through the motions, ticking boxes. But there are other times that the people who come to them and the people who work on them feel a different range of emotions. There’s love and welcome and joy.
“Already in the first few years of Gluttony, it felt as if we’d done something positive. We’d done it with good ethics and good morals. I felt really proud, despite the fact that my accountant thought I was insane to continue to do it.”
Like Daniel, El found herself naturally working on events after enjoying the organisation side more than circus performing. She was involved in Gluttony from its infancy, bringing a show over in that first year and was then involved independently for a few years until Daniel’s initial business partners left and he asked her to join him.
Nelya Valamanesh and Tash York with Gluttony’s design and decor manager Peter Karmel.
Daniel jokes the sales pitch was, “We’ve been going for three years, we’ve lost money every year, it’s really hard, it’s really stressful, you want in?”
“She’s like, ‘Where do I sign?’.”
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El knew she and Daniel worked well together and shared an ethos when it came to running events.
“Even though it had lost money and had been very stressful and hard, I really saw the potential in it and it was a really uplifting part of my work,” El says.
In one of those early years together, the pair were parked outside of Rymill Park, waiting for the rain to stop so they could walk around and inspect the park.
“We ended up talking about what this could be in five years’ time and we were absolutely working towards that, but the reality is, five years on from that conversation, Gluttony is so much bigger than we dreamed it was going to be.
“I think part of what’s exciting is you’re shooting for something, but you’re also responding to what’s happening. I feel we’ve grown quite organically based on the demands of what people want.”
Some of the brains behind Gluttony are founder Daniel Michael, marketing manager (and Daniel’s wife) Gemma Clark, and co-director Elena Kirschbaum.
Gluttony has become a place that people resonate with so strongly that they choose to incorporate it into some of their most important moments in life. Many people have met their partners at Gluttony, and several have even said their vows there.
El herself has officiated weddings at Gluttony, and helped facilitate special events.
“We did a silent disco once and a couple who met there got married a few years later early in the day, and later in the day, they asked us to set up a special function where we brought the retired disco stuff back out and set up a private silent disco for them and their loved ones.”
On the very last night of Gluttony each year, you’ll find Gemma wandering around, lost in thought. “I’ll walk around and quietly marvel at what the team has created, both in structure and atmosphere, and know that within hours, it’ll all be dismantled,” she says.
As everyone takes a seat, they toast to yet another year together as part of the Gluttony family.
Menu
To share
Mushroom and smoked cheddar croqueta
Kingfish, garlic and anchovy, herbs, egg yolk
Smoked jowl, sourdough crumpet, date and apple chutney
Roasted chicken, saffron and almond sauce, picada
Charred cauliflower, romesco sauce, guindillas
Alpha Box and Dice wine list
Tarot Prosecco
Tarot Grenache 2023
Tarot Rose 2023
Tarot Pinot Grigio 2023
Very Special Riesling 2023
ToZzo Sangiovese 2023
Wendy Pinot Noir 2023
Obligato 2023
Italian Plastic Golden 2022
Palmetto Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Palmetto Shiraz 2022
Mistress 2022
Adelaide Fringe 2025 runs from February 21 to March 23.
This article first appeared in the February 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.
Recipe: Pollo en pepitora (chicken with almond and saffron sauce)
1 whole chicken
1 orange
¼ bunch rosemary
¼ bunch thyme
salt and pepper
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
pinch saffron
250ml white wine
750ml chicken stock
75g blanched almonds
75g sourdough crumbs
¼ bunch parsley
¼ bunch dill
¼ bunch spring onion
50g rough chopped sourdough breadcrumbs
1 boiled egg (grated finely)
Stuff the chicken with orange, rosemary and thyme. Slow roast in an oven set to 140C for 90 to 100 minutes. Let rest.
Firstly, shallow fry the almonds and breadcrumbs until golden brown. Set aside and cool. Prepare the sauce by sweating the onions, garlic and saffron for 5 to 10 minutes. Add white wine, cook for five minutes, then add chicken stock and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
Blitz almonds and fried bread in a food processor and add the broth slowly to get the desired consistency. Pass through a fine sieve. Chop all herbs and mix with the breadcrumbs and grated egg. Put the chicken back in the oven at 220C to crisp the skin. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top, carve and serve.