The Burlesque Hour
Street Theatre
February 10-14
There was a different kind of heat in Canberra city last night. The Burlesque Hour at the Street Theatre certainly pushed the envelope with its mix of saucy, sleazy and bizarre titbits (pardon the pun).
It seems that Canberrans have a thirst for a deviation from the humdrum. Young Goths sat alongside mature housewives and elderly couples were peppered throughout the audience. There was a distinct sense of anticipation—and while the start was a little slow (and late), the energy built consistently to an up-beat finish.
Transformed into a voyeur’s paradise with small tables packed together on the stage plus a full house in the auditorium, Street 1’s setup created the desired cabaret effect. While the stage tables offered an intimate aspect, the auditorium seats offered an uninterrupted view of the entire show.
The acts were varied: most were provocative and some aesthetically pleasing.
Each artiste brought her own unique energy to the show. Azaria Universe oozed feminine sensuality—with her elegant Butterfly Dance a nice relief from the more overt performances. Her costume for her Total Eclipse of the Heart gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘Pearl Necklace’.
Yumi Umiumare’s performances were invigorating and had the desired shock effect, particularly Mouth Piece, which showed a high degree of body mastery while at the same time triggering a slight level of repulsion. Her Kiss of the Serpent Warrior striptease was done with such precision and focus to be mesmerising.
Maude Davey’s Dairy Queen and Strawberry Trick certainly tested the boundaries.
Moira Finucane is the mistress of her domain, however. Two elements set her apart from her counterparts: her absolute familiarity with every inch (inside and out) of herself, which shows in the way she manipulates her body to exaggerated effect, and her enigmatic face, which can simultaneously appear classical and grotesque on cue.
It was wonderful to see REAL female forms, resplendent in all their bits and bumps, cellulite and sags that we ‘normal’ girls try to hide from the world. And not a Brazilian in sight—just as Mother Nature intended.
The stage crew must be mentioned—their fine attention to detail meant the transitions went smoothly (there was a lot of cleaning up required).
The Burlesque Hour was a wild and woolly ride driven along by a high energy soundtrack and enhanced by vibrant costumes. It drew the expected response, from bemusement to joy to unease—but no major shocks, no audience members leaving in indignation—in fact the audience ate it all up joyfully.
The token male Paul Cordeiro’s performance was the only let down. While his striptease was sensuous and fun, he stopped short of a full strip, which was disappointing. It wasn’t that I was out for a peek at some stranger’s manhood, but I felt that as the women didn’t hold back during their performances—I can certainly tell you what they had for breakfast—it seemed out of place that the only male performer wouldn’t do the same.
Nonetheless, the Burlesque Hour is engrossing to say the least, and something to talk about for some time to come.
