Kathakali Kabaret Spins the Tale of Snow White and The Seven Dwarves.

Aletia Upstairs, a South-African born, London-based cabaret performer, adds Indian music and dance to her inter-cultural incarnation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Aletia, a cabaret chanteuse with a deep, sensual voice reminiscent of the singer Sade, sings in multiple languages her repertoire of jazz, world music and haunting original songs. Aletia is also a confident actress who makes points from her worldview: “I would love to share ideas with you,” she says in her own tune “Fall So Far”.

In her inter-cultural spin on the Hans Christian Anderson heroine Snow White, she uses the Indian performance style of Kathakali – in which the performers transform in full view of the audience. She portrays Snow White as well as her evil stepmother, relishing both roles as she sings numbers including ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’, ‘I Wanna Be Evil’ and ‘Hai Rama Ye Kya Hua’. She also portrays The Blue Fairy, inspired by the Hindu goddess Kali.

Aletia’s script is drawn from Anne Sexton’s feminist poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” Aletia adds a layer, casting the dwarves as the Seven Deadly Sins, all of whom have to be dealt with. Making arch commentary on the ways of women, Aletia illustrates how Snow White and her evil stepmother are not so different after all…”In the end, referring to her mirror, as women do.”

Dressed in hotly-coloured costumes and gorgeous make-up (Aletia
is a MA student at Central Saint Martins) she takes Snow White to India. Her cultural fusion cabaret is rich in music, insight – and fabric!

The show is directed by Anna Brownsted and features Ada Kan and Sigrun Paschke on piano and Mylvaganam Wijeyarajah and Abishan Selvendran on traditional Indian instruments. Costumes are by Yueer Zhang (a fellow student at Central Saint Martins).

Aletia performed an earlier version of her Kathakali Kabaret during the Hot August Fringe at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, earning praise:

“Aletia certainly does know how to turn a tune, and tell an extravagant cabaret tale…with bells on her ankles and lights at her toes, she’ll have music – and fans – wherever she goes”
– The South African