Britney's life is a Prahran cabaret for Christie - Stonnington Leader

SHE is without doubt one of the most famous faces on the planet, but like many before her, Britney Spears has struggled growing up in the public spotlight.

The life and times of the pop music icon will be on display this Midsumma Festival at Prahran’s Chapel Off Chapel, when Christie Whelan brings to life Britney Spears: The Cabaret.

This satirical but heartfelt tribute to the pop star is one of the highlights of this year’s Gay and Lesbian festival and includes 15 of Spears’ biggest hits, performed in cabaret style.

“I love Britney, I’m a huge fan. In fact I only had to learn one song from the new album,” Whelan said.

“I’ve always been fascinated with fame and particularly, why so many people who appear to have it all and have lived in the spotlight - like Marilyn Monroe, Lindsay Lohan and Britney - are so miserable?

“How is it that such a young, beautiful girl has been through so much?”

Whelan said the show, written by Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank, was set in the present and was based on how Britney would approach a cabaret show in a club.

“There’s been a heap of research put in and we tell her story right through all the things that have happened in her life,” she said.

“It is very daunting. It’s just me and my accompanying pianist on stage, but it’s one of those shows that before you know it, you’re halfway through.

“It’s so well written and most of all I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to give two brilliant writers an opportunity to have their work out for the world to see.”

Whelan has toured the show since 2009, playing all the major cities across Australia.

She said she hoped to take the show to the Edinburgh Festival soon and would one day love to perform it in the US.

“There are a lot of Americanisms in the show that I know the audience would understand in the States,” she said.

Britney Spears: The Cabaret is on at Chapel Off Chapel until January 29. Click here for more details.