Eastend Cabaret. The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Deluxe. 6 Mar 2015
What an entrance! That got the show onto a fine start. Every male in the house became very nervous about what high jinx they could be in for if vamp and temptress Bernadette singled them out for some sexual harassment. Always new to new audiences, the show harks back to post-modern experimentation exemplified by the Weimar cabaret. Irresistible in black, the Gothic Bernadette is foiled by her less statuesque comic sidekick, Victor-Victoria - a split name for a split personality dressed with a gender boundary down the middle in a bisexual bisection. To Victor-Victoria's accomplished accompaniment and asides, Bernadette sings ballads of sexual misadventures and songs of self-pleasure with frankness. They tag team the humour in a mood of subtle tension. But it's Bernadette’s sojourns amongst the smiling patrons that gives the show an added delicious risk factor and edge. It was the first time I was afraid yet internally screaming, "Pick me!" The show was so salacious you could taste it.
Eastend Cabaret won Best Cabaret at the 2012 Adelaide Fringe and the show I attended was sold out, so success continues to chase this dynamic duo. Go get titillated.
David Grybowski
When: 2 to 15 Mar
Where: The Garden of Unearthly Delights - The Deluxe
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
