By Brett Haylock in association with the Adelaide Festival Centre. The Space Theatre. 30 Dec 2015.
Club Swizzle is raucous and reminiscent of its predecessor La Soiree; though just barely. The theatrical phenomenon which captured the hearts and minds of audiences all over the world has been painstakingly re-themed, re-jigged, and re-imagined. The format has now been presented in shows like La Clique, Limbo, Cantina, Fear and Delight, and the aforementioned La Soirée, and it is getting harder and harder to dazzle audiences with new material; but Club Swizzle has a few tricks up its sleeve.
First and foremost is host, Murray Hill, a New York comedian (or is it comedienne?) with a dirty sense of humour and a foul mouth. Hill’s brand of comedy is perfect for the speakeasy themed production, and speak-easy he does! Hill is at his absolute best during an audience participation segment where two randoms are called up to for a pole-dancing competition. Little does Hill know, on opening night he will be shown up by a bear who designs lighting and a sweetly sung, scene-stealing, lesbian!
Next into the fray are the acrobatic Swizzle boys (Joren Dawson, Tom Flanagan, DJ Garner and Ben Lewis) who leap, twist, flip, and balance on and off of every available prop in the room. Their act is polished to perfection, if not a tad ‘done’, but they have a few unseen tricks up their sleeve which ‘wow’ even the most experienced audience member of the genre.
There is beautiful singing from veteran cabaret and opera star, Ali McGregor; a bit of jazz-and-tap from Harlem hailing Dandy Wellington; clever ribbon and balance work by Russian performer Valerie Murzak; and some delightful burlesque by acclaimed performer Laurie Hagen; all underscored by the musical stylings of Mikey and the Nightcaps dolling out the live tunes. All in all, however, it is perhaps a bit undercooked – definitely entertaining but very rarely awe-inspiring.
The concept shows great potential, but not every seat in the house is worthy of the ticket price. The 30 odd unfortunate souls who land a seat at the end of the room (rather than the sides) get a splendid view of the best seats in the house and not much more. The 6 barstools around the pole on the end of the stage ought to be sacrificed. Ringside seating is anywhere up to 5 rows back too… so arrive early for a decent, un-reserved, spot.
At just on 2 hours in length the show could be tightened. The lengthy interval for drinking and mingling could be shorter and the acts could fire-up a little quicker. Club Swizzle is a bit of light entertainment with a fairly hefty ticket price. It doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of its predecessor, but it will certainly find its market.
Paul Rodda
When: 29 Dec to 17 Jan
Where: The Space Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
