VIVA la DIVA: KARLA BEAR

3 courses from our a la carte menu and A forty minute live set

$100 p/p

Well known for their time in Kinky Boots on the West End (and previously around the world with shows like Wicked and Priscilla-Queen of the Desert), Karla brings you a night of pop diva and music theatre classics. Accompanied by the incomparable Bev Kennedy, these blonde bombshells bring you a Sydney debut three years in the making.

With legs as long as her vocal range (and that’s bloody long),

Karla is a tour de force you’re gonna wanna see!

KARLA BEAR (A.K.A. Daniel Downing)

Daniel Downing grew up in Wollongong, Australia, just south of Sydney. At the age of 18 in 2010, Daniel was accepted into the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)- Australia’s leading arts training college which birthed international stars such as Cate Blanchet, Hugo Weaving and Mel Gibson. Upon graduation, at the age of 19, Daniel was cast in WICKED- The Musical in the role of “male vocal swing”- a role which required him to have the knowledge of 11 different roles including principal roles of “The Father” and “Doctor Dillamond”. WICKED saw Daniel performing with it in 5 different countries including South Korea, Singapore, The Philippines, New Zealand and Australia. Amongst this busy touring schedule, Daniel was also lucky enough to perform a one-man solo show at the Sydney Opera House as part of the prestigious “Babies Proms” in association with The Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 2016 saw Daniel write and star in a one man show entitled “Almost Home- The Untold Stories of Judy Garland” as part of the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival. The show received raving 5 star reviews. Later in 2016, Daniel played the star role of Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla Queen of the Desert on board luxury cruise liner “The Norwegian Epic”. Quickly following this, Daniel returned to Australia to perform in the Australian Debut of Kinky Boots in the role of “swing”- again requiring him to have the knowledge of 12 different supporting principal roles. At the beginning of 2018, Daniel made the choice to move to London, United Kingdom. This decision quickly became fruitful, with Daniel securing a role in the West End company of Kinky Boots- this time as an “Angel”, and first understudy for the role of “The Referee”, a mere 6 weeks after relocating. In October of 2018, Daniel was filmed in the professional cast recording of Kinky Boots in the role of “The Referee”, which is due to be released world-wide over the next year. In early 2019, Daniel entered the cabaret and drag queen circuit with his drag queen act “Karla Bear”, quickly becoming a staple cabaret act at elite cabaret venues such as Café Du Paris and The Bloomsbury Ballroom. With only a few months of Drag Queen industry experience under his belt, Daniel’s act “Karla Bear” entered and won Drag Idol UK- a national drag queen competition which has been running for 15 years. The illustrious prize saw Daniel close the 2019 Pride in London’s Trafalgar Square Stage in front of 30,000 people amongst a star studded line up including Academy and Golden Globe winner Renee Zellweger and Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter. The prize also included a National UK tour of 18 LGBTI+ Venues, where Daniel’s act “Karla Bear” performs their solo live singing drag cabaret show. In August of 2019, Daniel was approached to revive his critically acclaimed one-man show “Almost Home” at The Zedel, which again recieved 5 star, rave reviews. Most recently, Daniel was invited back to the Kinky Boots cast to help complete their current Ireland/UK national tour, again as an “angel” and first understudy for “The Referee”.

The cabaret room capacity is now only 40 guests to adhere to the Covid 19 personal distancing rules

Anyone entering the premises must provide their name and contact details, including a telephone number or email address.

All reasonable steps are being taken to mitigate against the risk of transmission of infection within the venue (with reference to standard and additional cleaning measures as recommended by public health authorities and SafeWork NSW).

If you are exhibiting any flu-like symptoms, please stay home.