Trevor Ashley made his professional debut in 1998 at the Sydney Cabaret Convention. Appearing in the second year of the cabaret event, which ran annually at Sydney Town Hall until 2004, his performance was lauded by the judges, audience and critics and kick-started his career.

Two decades on, Ashley has launched the new Sydney Cabaret Festival, which will feature over 40 performances across 10 days in July at several Sydney venues. The star performer is Jennifer Holliday, one of the original cast members of the musical Dreamgirls, who will be making her Australian debut with two performances at Sydney Town Hall.

Jennifer Holliday. Photograph supplied

Holliday, who is now 58, is currently in remission from multiple sclerosis. She told the Sydney Morning Herald that the disease had taken a heavy toll on her body in the past but that “fortunately it hasn’t affected my voice”. The Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer, who recently returned to Broadway in the revival of The Color Purple, will perform a show of powerhouse numbers, including the show-stopping And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going from Dreamgirls, which she made famous, with personal stories interwoven.

The Festival will begin...