Our hosts for tonight’s burlesque extravaganza are Rita Herringbone and Glenda Swing, two black and white drag starlets of the golden era of Hollywood. A cantankerous yin and yang of a duo, they bicker, tell the story of their rise and fall, sing songs and introduce the evening’s acts. We get standards of music hall, cheeky swing covers of modern pop songs and nestled in amongst them some gloriously raunchy burlesque. It’s perfect raucous late night fringe entertainment and has the audience whooping, laughing and singing along throughout.
There’s a contraband ‘black market’ feeling to the night that places it in a wartime epoch of dirty deals and lawlessness, and that makes the burlesque itself feel even more risqué. After Rita and Glenda introduce themselves and sing a few songs, our first burlesque act consists of two washerwomen portrayed by Naomi Wood and Beatrix Carlotta, scrubbing the floor and doing housework. It starts off innocently enough but they’re soon helping each other out of their aprons with much homoeroticism. It’s an empowering twist on the repressed housewife stereotype and ends with them revealing their biceps in imitation of the ‘We Can Do It!’ poster icon, Rosie the Riveter.
There follows cheekily jazzed up versions of Destiny’s Child’s Independent Women Part I and Lady Marmalade sung by Rita and Glenda. They’re adept at working the crowd into a frenzy by feeding them equal parts charm and disdain. The reason for their disquiet stems, we are told, from the fact that there are no good parts for black and white actors anymore, which is a very silly pastiche of a fight for equal opportunities.
After what seems like a rather early interval, we are treated to another performer, Aurora Starr, who Glenda describes as “offensively sparkly”. She twists in an aerial hoop hanging from the roof of the tent as a Lana Del Ray song swells emotionally. It’s a truly jaw-dropping display of graceful contortion and control, and her skimpy outfit shimmers in the lights as she spins.
Later, Naomi Woods returns for the evening’s steamiest performance. She gyrates around on a glittery chair and strips to barely nothing, emanating sensuality and power . We are told early on in the night’s proceedings that whenever a performer takes off a glove, they are surprised to find a hand there, and the etiquette of burlesque demands we are to whoop and cheer in accordance, an instruction everyone is more than willing to follow.
Though there is top quality burlesque on display tonight, most of the show consists of our two hosts singing songs, and whilst they are well chosen, imaginative covers, there could have been a higher proportion of burlesque. But if you’re looking for a good time and a singalong, with a seasoning of spellbinding, seductive acts, this is a perfect end to a Fringe evening in the high top atmosphere of the Luna Parc tent, an ideal setting for a more informal show, with a bar in the corner and unspecified, communal seating. We all sing happy birthday to a random woman in the crowd, someone tries to steal Naomi’s discarded shoe, a surprise and slightly off-brand pole dancing Harley Quinn is wheeled on at the end… It’s chaotic, involving and a lot of fun, and by the end everyone is out of their seats singing and dancing in the aisles.
Reviewed on 25 May 2023
