Paul Capsis

Territory represented: Canada & USA

Could Paul Capsis be Australia’s best entertainer? His reviews read like religious awakenings. The List in Manchester describes a night with Paul Capsis as one to “change your life”. According to The Scotsman Capsis “takes you breath away, leaving you gasping, open-mouthed in amazement and admiration”. While for the Sydney Morning Herald, the effect is even more palpable, “when Capsis sings the effect is electric: one countenances the possibility of a higher force”.

Scaling gospel to the blues, deconstructing Lou Reed, Nick Cave and REM and channelling the spirit of tragic yet transcendent divas from decades past (Marlene Dietrich, Janis Joplin, Judy Garland and Billie Holiday). Before you go, learn the words to Carole King’s Natural Woman and Janis Joplin’s Get It While You Can — you will want to join in!

Paul Capsis is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and successful cabaret and concert artists. In 2006, his performance in Boulevard Delirium won him 2 awards in Australia: Helpmann Award for ‘Best Performer in an Australian Contemporary Concert’ and Green Room Award for ‘Best Artist’.

Among his many achievements, let’s mention that in 1993/94 he performed his unique one-man show A Pack of Divas at the Adelaide Comedy Festival and in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1995/96 his show Burning Sequins toured to Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Auckland and Australia. In 1997 Whole Lotta Capsis was seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Wellington Arts Festival and Glendi Greek Festival. In 1998, Paul performed in the Barrie Kosky directed Burlesque Tour for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and the Melbourne Festival. The following year he performed Paul Capsis Alive at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, Perth International Festival of the Arts, and the Hong Kong Fringe Festival. In 2002 Paul performed with Aron Ottignon in Capsis Vs Capsis in The Studio at Sydney Opera House. Capsis Vs Capsis went onto win a 2002 Helpmann Award for Best Live Music Presentation.

A return season in Vienna of the hit Boulevard Delirium directed by Barrie Kosky saw Paul build his international reputation (3 sell-out seasons at the Schauspielhaus) and followed on from a season of Volpone with Sydney Theatre Company in 2002. His powerful stage roles have also included Caucasian Chalk Circle and Cockroach Opera for Company B Belvoir St Theatre, Playgrounds for the Sydney Theatre Company and Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui for the Melbourne Theatre Company.

On screen Paul was nominated for an AFI (American Film Institute) ‘Best Actor’ award for his role in the film Head On and won a Sydney Film Critics Circle Award. He has also made guest appearances in the television Pizza and Crash Palace and has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest for SBSTV (Australia). In 2002, Paul collaborated with the internationally acclaimed dance company DV8 Physical Theatre for their Olympic Arts Festival production Can We Afford This/The Cost of Living. This production also toured to London and Hong Kong.

What the media says…

“Paul Capsis is able to do everything — he is a clown, a tap-dancer, a sorcerer, a rock star; he is man, woman and child.” — Profil (Vienna) 2005

“En plus d’être un juke-box ambulant, un imitateur, un chaman et un farceur, Paul Capsis est un artiste de cabaret qui brûle les planches. Avec sa personnalité extravagante, ses paupières étincelantes et son collier assorti, Capsis est un artiste fascinant doté d’une voix extraordinairement puissante qu’il peut transformer à sa guise.” — Gillian Wills, The Courier Mail Spielgeltent, South Bank (Australie), Juillet 2005

> his website