Presented by Club Burlesk
Reviewed Sunday 17th June 2012
Club Burlesk is a regular event with an evidently loyal following. Being at the home of Cabaret in Adelaide, La Boheme during the Cabaret Fringe Festival, it seems natural to include this month’s performance in the Cabaret Fringe.
On this rainy Sunday evening La Boheme was packed, the show starting late due to the number of people queued at the bar. Much of the enthusiastic crowd were dressed in the spirit of the occasion; corsets and fishnet stockings abounding!
Cara Louise, as hostess, sets the tone for the evening with a double-entendre-ridden rendition of When You’re Good To Mama from the musical Chicago. Her performance is funny and sexy, and her voice is impressive, but she is let down by the poor backing track used for accompaniment.
Local burlesque beauties Luna Eclipse and Sapphire Snow contributed two tantalising routines each over the course of the evening. Individually, each routine is cleverly conceived and very well executed, giving the crowd exactly what they want. Luna Eclipse in particular is a fearless performer, challenging the audience with knowing stares as each layer peels off.
Special guest for the evening, Carla Conlin, offered two songs through the course of the evening, showing her impressive talents both as a singer and as a strong performer capable of heading off disruptive hecklers. Accompanied by Daniel Brunner, she commands the stage, and her numbers were highlights.
Sightlines are a bit of a problem in La Boheme, particularly in something as visual as burlesque, and a number of patrons had to move around during the performance because they couldn’t see.
Not being a burlesque regular, it is difficult to say whether the show as a whole passes muster but, as Cabaret, although all of the elements are there (and quite well done in their own right), the cohesiveness that one expects from a Cabaret performance is missing. Transitions between numbers are a little clunky, and the addition of an interval to a 60 minute show feels a little odd.
Nonetheless, Club Burlesk provides a thoroughly entertaining night out, with a good mix of bawdiness and titillation, balanced with a bit of comedy and good music.
Reviewed by Megan Doherty, Guest Cabaret Fringe Critic, Glam Adelaide.
Venue: La Boheme, 36 Grote Street, Adelaide
Season: One night only
Duration: 60min
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