A bartenders tale

Across two nights, cocktails, celebration and cabaret will come together at 18th Amendment Bar with Love and Forgetting – Tales from a Young Mixer.

On December 4 and December 5, the performance will tell a story through stories of others, combining pieces from classic cinema, literary icons, tunes of yesteryear and stories from past and present bartenders.

The show was developed by Jeremy James and Jack Martin last year at the Sofitel Melbourne as part of its Artist-in-Residence program, before premiering at Melbourne Fringe.

Boundaries between the actor and audience are blurred as part of the performance, flirting with fact and fiction throughout.

James said the show was inspired by cinema and in one sense it’s a coming-of-age story with the bartender being somewhat incognito.

“When you arrive into this bar, you basically just order a drink as you would just going to a bar, you don’t necessarily know who the performer is.

“It’s kind of inspired by cinema where bar scenes have been very present throughout popular culture through cinema and literature.”

The story is then told through the bartender, which seems to be based on a real-life biographic story, yet it is all interwoven from stories and scenes taken from cinema and literature.

Every show is performed in a working bar with the help of the bar’s team and service staff, making each performance slightly different and unique to the location.

“From a performer and directors’ point of view, it’s always an exciting idea to have a project that constantly challenges you,” James said.

“Every venue we go into becomes the set and so it’s lighting, it’s sounds we adapt to, and what’s important is that it looks like you’re just going into the venue to have a bite to eat or a drink.”

Martin, studied musical theatre and also worked as a bar tender throughout university.

“This show is very fulfilling and in a sense that people seem to enjoy it, it’s entertaining, but it’s also, I feel, has artistic integrity and that is exciting,” he said.

“It blends some of my own autobiographic story with Jeremy’s experiences as well and those from popular culture, but it also combines some of my skills.”

Tickets are $79 each and include a cocktail on arrival and charcuterie.

For tickets and more information, head to the18thamendmentbar.com.au