Praise for 50 Shades of Gay
“Absolutely superb... smooth harmonies, sexy moves, and sequins and feathers to spare”
- The Advertiser (Adelaide)
“I would like to describe Ginger and Tonic as Pitch Perfect meets the Spice Girls, but the comparison just isn’t fair. Ginger and Tonic are definitely in a league of their own.”
- Narelle Wood, Theatre Press
“Each of the four girls are undeniably talented performers, and their ability to harmonise together set them apart.”
- Heckler
“With consistently flawless harmonies and spot on arrangements, Ginger and Tonic take Pitch Perfect to a whole new level.”
- Nikki Mott, Rip It Up
Introducing Ginger & Tonic
“These ladies are fantastic”
- Tim Minchin
Specialising in original songs as well as impertinent parodies, a cappella girl group Ginger and Tonic rely solely on their voices to create their unique sound. The four girls have their audiences transfixed with their superb harmonies, and leave them in stitches with their wicked humour.
Since forming in 2010, Ginger and Tonic have performed as a headline act at the Festival of Voices in Hobart, toured to Germany to perform at the International A Cappella Festival in Leipzig, and in 2012 won first place at SingFest – Australia's leading a cappella festival and competition. They have performed at festivals around Australia including Port Fairy Folk Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Perth's FringeWorld, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Cabaret Festival and Queenscliff Music Festival. Their cabaret show Desperate and Dateless earned them a Green Room Award for Best Musical Direction in 2015. Ginger and Tonic debuted their latest cabaret show, For Love or Money, in 2017 to 5-star reviews.
Ginger and Tonic have released three albums – Shake It (2011), Ginger and Tonic LIVE (2015) and Come and Get It (2018).
“A whole lot of sass and a whole lot of laughs”
- Theatre Press
JANE PATTERSON
Ginger and Tonic founder Jane Patterson began her musical training early, starting violin lessons at age 4. She is Ginger and Tonic's musical director, songwriter and arranger, and in 2015 received a Green Room Award for Best Musical Direction in a Cabaret for Desperate and Dateless. Jane has performed as a violinist and backing vocalist, recording and touring around the country with folk troubadours John Flanagan and Keegan Joyce. In 2014/2015, Jane performed the role of Ex-Girlfriend in the GFO/MTC co-production of Once the musical. Jane is an experienced choral director, and was the musical director of community choir Harambee for four years. Jane hopes to one day become a Minimalist.
LAURA BURZACOTT
Hailing from Ballarat, Laura Burzacott trained in New York at the Lee Strasberg Institute, completing a Certificate III in Performance and Practices at the National Theatre. Laura has been integral as a deviser and performer in Present Tense works including Chants Des Catacombes, Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Dessert, and Ricercar. Other recent credits include the overnight immersive experience Blue Angel (Tasmanian International Arts Festival and big hART) where she was nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role at the Tasmanian Theatre Awards, and the national tour of Long Gone Lonesome Cowgirls (Ellis Productions). Laura is an expert on all things wine and doughnuts.
Stephanie graduated from APO Arts Academy under the tutelage of Derek Taylor. Her professional roles include Stephanie Necrophorous in ‘NINE’ (Mikey Ralph, StageArt), Rhoda in ‘A New Brain’ (Popular Mechanicals) and the Piper’s Cat in ‘The Pied Piper’ (Vic Opera). In 2017 she won both the Guild Award and Lyrebird Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Millie Dillmount in ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’. Other theatrical roles include Violet Karl in ‘Violet’, Mary Poppins in ‘Mary Poppins’ and Mary Flynn in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ directed by Pip Mushin. She has performed as a soloist for the MTO and in various solo cabarets and corporate events. Stephanie is passionate about Greyhounds and hopes to one day adopt some beautiful ex-racing dogs.
Rebecca has a background in Musical Theatre, studying at the Victorian College of the Arts and graduating in 2008. Her professional MT credits include; 'Motherhood the Musical' as Amy, 'Children of Eden' for Magnormos, ‘Calvin Berger’ as Bret, 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' as Rona Lisa Pereti and 'NINE: The Musical in Concert’. Rebecca was the first recipient of the Ron and Marg Dobell Scholarship at VCA, which allowed her to study in New York and London. She has since become a member of the Foundation’s board. Rebecca is also a panel member for the Green Room Awards Music Theatre panel. Having found her niche in Cabaret, Rebecca can’t think of a more fun job, and thinks every warm up should include a glass of sparkling.