Friday Productions is rapidly carving out a niche for "music with a little extra," proving that Adelaide’s live scene thrives well beyond the Fringe season. Producer Alexandra Psaltis has a keen eye for curation, a skill evidenced by the assembly of the Millie Sarah & Co. jazz quintet. While Friday Productions is better known for opera, this shift into the jazz world felt like a natural extension of their high standards.

The ensemble displayed a charming chemistry, but it was the individual flourishes that truly landed. Nat Brice (keys) provided the night's most delightful "easter egg," weaving the Super Mario theme into a solo with enough subtlety to earn a knowing laugh from the crowd. Trumpeter Harrison Smith emerged as a clear audience favourite, delivering improvised solos that were as technically tight as they were emotionally supportive of the broader sound. While Millie Sarah’s execution of jazz standards was effortless – most notably her impressive transcription of Sarah Vaughan’s "All of Me" scat solo – one couldn't help but wish she’d stepped further out of the shadows of her influences to offer more of her own improvised voice.

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The Q on Hallett, a stunningly repurposed church, proved to be an acoustic gem; the natural reverb complemented the quintet so well that only the vocals required amplification. This may be Friday Productions’ first foray outside the inherent drama of opera, but the foundation is strong. If they can inject future sessions with the same theatricality they bring to their classical stagings, their productions will undoubtedly become a benchmark for musicianship in the city.