The Burlesque Hour
The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Spiegeltent.
Deep in the Garden of Unearthly Delights, The Burlesque Hour… Salon of Live Ladies performs a late night slot in The Spiegeltent. From reported connoisseurs of provocative entertainment, artist and writer Moira Finucane and theatre creator and director Jackie Smith, this variety show packs cabaret, burlesque, circus and striptease aplenty.
Opening the proceedings is a trio of ‘Hello Kitty’ - disguised ladies led by Japanese shock cabaret artiste Yumi Umiumar, performing a bizarre mix of song, spoken word and dancing. Needless to say, the show makes an impression from the beginning and remains heavy on wacky theatrics and extreme contemporary burlesque.
A sultry and tightly strung trapeze set from Jess Love presents entertaining but standard circus trickery, with bonus points for unique costuming. One of the better acts is a Gorilla suit striptease, in which the performer becomes more monkey-like as the suit gradually is discarded.
Finucane herself provides the zaniest performances. Espresso is a robotic coffee-making routine set to heavy electronic beats and featuring an interesting... erm... climax. Sugar anyone? The show peaks with her infamous Dairy Queen, a dubious milk drenching act that has the front rows cowering in fear.
With inexplicably frequent cigarette smoking and much balloon popping, most of the show has little obvious point and fails to inspire.
A heavily feminist affair with a hardcore soundtrack, it tries hard to shock and you get the distinct impression that many of Finucane’s performances attempt a level of social commentary. Unfortunately, it largely doesn't translate. You would be forgiven for thinking the show is a series of overblown theatrics designed to push boundaries for the sake of it and to justify a little nudity.
Positive crowd reaction suggests the show hits its mark, but it won’t satisfy all tastes.
Nicole Russo
