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The art of titillation An Evening of Burlesque Malvern Theatres **** BURLESQUE is an art form which still
divides opinion. A playful celebration of female sexuality or a
degrading striptease for the middle classes? Well, for me it all depends on the presentation.
After their successful international tour, this troupe has put together
a new show for 2013, produced by Michael Taylor, which combines showgirl
spectacle, comedy, circus skills and song. Promising the audience an evening of tastefully
tantalising talent, frivolity and fun, Britain’s biggest burlesque
showcases some of the genre’s most smouldering stars. Interestingly, the
audience was made up of more women than men, many of whom had dressed up
Dita Von Teese style for the occasion. They were clearly there for the
glamour, the sparkle, the fun and the frivolity and the show’s sashaying
heroines The Folly Mixtures did not disappoint. Trained dancers, The Folly Mixtures entranced
with their gorgeous glittery outfits and minxish moves. They performed
various routines together and individually, with vintage costumes and
stunning dresses, always with the highest of heels and always artfully
peeling the layers down to a few well placed sequins and some sparkly
nipple tassels. Bumping, grinding, sashaying, shimmying,
wobbling and wiggling were displayed with joy, and these four clearly
revelled in their allure and the beauty of the female form. Liberty
Sweet’s fan dance was elegant and poised, and Betsy Bonbon’s emerald
evening dress was almost too good to step out of. Angie Sylvia’s belly
dance and fire eating routine was one of my favourites and Felixy Splits
always had a playful glint in her eye. The ‘all tease, no sleaze’ assurance was blighted
only by hostess Ivy Paige, whom I felt went a little too far with tall
tales of her lascivious lifestyle. Most of the audience took the
glamorous compere’s tongue in cheek chat as intended however, and she
certainly made it a memorable evening for audience member Steve who was
called up on stage on several occasions and looked rather happy to have
Ms Paige singing ‘Close To You’ whilst sitting on his lap. In between the delights of The Folly Mixtures,
other variety acts were introduced. Chloe Hannah Lloyd wowed the
audience with her acrobatics and agile hoop dancing. Chloe made hooping
around one foot whilst walking on her hands look effortlessly elegant,
and her finale with what must have been around thirty rainbow coloured
hoops has certainly given me something to practise this summer.
AJ James added a bit of talent for the women to
admire, with his comedy knife juggling act (impressively done whist
balancing on a rolla bolla on a table), his somersaulting and his heroic
feat of escapism from a (reportedly) nipple chafing thirty metres of
metal chains. He knew what his female fans were really wanting though,
and he did eventually deliver, glitter balls and all. The only act which for me did not work and felt
like a time filler was one where a ‘conductor’ (Mike Raphone?) led the
audience in a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Whilst
there was much happy audience participation throughout the show, the
humour in this act partially depended on making one audience member look
rather silly as he played his part in the orchestra and jumped up and
down, which I thought was unnecessary and really not at all amusing. The cast of the show varies depending on the date
and venue and I’m sorry that Malvern missed out on the fabulous Count
Adriano Fettucini. I am not ashamed to say that I have a photo of Count
Adriano on my bedroom wall and that as unicycle stripteases go,
Fettucini’s has to be the best! If you like variety, circus, glamour and a slice
of seduction, this could well be the show for you. Ideally I’d add a few
more dancers and certainly more male performers to the show, but then I
guess An Evening of Burlesque would not have been doing its job
if it hadn’t left me wanting more . . . An Evening of Burlesque was in Malvern for
one night only but is touring the UK throughout the year and into 2014.
The term ‘in the flesh’ has never seemed more fitting. 06-07-13 Amy Rainbow
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