Last night I got to experience Finucane and Smiths's "Burlesque Caravan" at the Hobart Theatre Royal, the second night on their two show stopover in Hobart.
Firstly I really am glad that the Theatre Royal included them in their program for the year as it's so nice to have something diverse and different in the mix of the usual TasDance/Sydney Dance/Bell Shakespeare lineup (all of which I'm a fan of so no complaints there). But something that could pull Hobart audiences out of their complacency and give a different interpretation to burlesque that I know isn't normally on display in Tasmania. Sorry folks, I'm just all about the bump, grind and a pretty costume :)
I am also really appreciative that Finucane and Smith are taking their Caravan across much of regional Australia who perhaps miss out on this style of entertainment. And I look forward to bigger travelling shows coming into Hobart and Tasmania. We've been really fortunate to have the Australian Burlesque Festival take a punt and come down in the last two years, but for bigger (non locally produced) burlesque shows that's been it.
So it was with this mix rolling around that I jostled for the retrieval of my arm rest, swigged back my champers and settled into the Caravan.
And as the title of my blog indicates, I think the Caravan missed me at a few points.
I offer a caveat. Any burlesque show will never please the audience 100%. Some have preconceived ideas of what to expect, some refer to the movie (and will be a bit shocked or tired for waiting for some jazz dancing), and the rest fall into the mish mash of 'liked this, didn't like that'. You are always going to enjoy some acts more than others.
When the cast of "Caravan Burlesque" were on 'fire' the acts were amazing. However of the dozen or so performances that we were treated to I think only about half of them really set my soul ablaze. I felt that the material perhaps warranted a shorter show that left you hanging on wanting more of their insane fabulousness, rather than a mixture of 'meh' and marvelous. I concede that perhaps this is the aim of the show, to offer some outrageous shows and a mixture of acts that perhaps are made to challenge us and reflect on rather than gather rapturous applause for every number. However I'm not sure that the two are mutually exclusive.
And I preface my other comments with the statement that obviously as a burlesque performer (and one operating in a completely different world, with a completely different style) I come with a bit more of a critical eye than perhaps others sitting around me.
I strongly felt that the first half of the show was a warm up to the latter (although in contrast the people around me felt the exact opposite, so who knows!). I loved the blokeish opener as a little shock number to taste out what was to come. And similarly the Go Go dancing was upbeat, warm and funny and got the Dress Circle tapping their feet. I also loved the hula hoopist (probably offering my favourite numbers of the night). And a camp dance duo that, to me , gave a little nod to 'Allo 'Allo style humour.
And certainly there were some cleverly conceived acts. But in the first half, as a whole, gelled for me. The set was lush and spoke to an other worldy, gypsiness and intimated a seductive trip on a Russian train with Anna Kareninia and perhaps some wayward Cossack dancers. Joining in with them, slugging back vodka, singing and dancing to the wee hours. But despite it's aesthetic appeal, it also served to the detriment to the performers at times. Many of the numbers I felt were constrained by the space (particularly the front 'catwalk' ) who looked as though they longed to break free and bust out all other the stage.
I was also longing for some more extravagant costuming. I'm not a performer who thinks that a costume makes the act and nor do I expect burlesque to equate to a truckload of swarovskis, Dita von Teese style. I do love that, but I recognise that it's not applicable to all acts. However I think to 'neo' acts that I have loved over the years - Lillian Starr, Imogen Kelly, Rita Fontaine. Even recently at the "Baby Bombshells" night - admittedly a night for newer performers - Little Skink or Tassie babes Oopsy Daisy and Le fay. The costumes fit the act and they are of quality. I found detail sorely lacking here. Maybe this is me just whinging but it also contributes to how I perceive their performances. Like it or not, bright colours and sequins stand out like a shag on a rock and make detail more visible. I wanted desperately to love the crazed twist on the traditional burlesque balloon pop....but I had no idea until the very end what was actually on her costume. I can hear gales of laughter coming from the first few rows, but cannot participate. Which infuriates me.
Again maybe I'm being a grumbly Gus. But it leads me to my most important point. As beautiful as it was, the set also hampered some of the lighting which was really an issue. In a large (though by all means not massive) venue like the Theatre Royal, many of the acts could just not be seen from my seat. Often we were missing crucial facial cues, costume subtleties and sometimes just obscured. This is pivotal in burlesque shows who so often rely on the atmosphere coming from the crowd. And it meant that perhaps some potentially amazing numbers were lost on me. Particularly the "T. N. T" number which just bypassed me as I couldn't see what the performer was holding or read her facial cues.
So by interval I'm feeling a bit grumbly. And judging by the departure of a number of people in my section, I wasn't the only one.
The second half certainly picked up from my perspective. Visually it was more of a feast, the costuming more sumptuous and the performances larger than life. A clever hoopist again stealing much of the show, a little boob and vagina to shock us out of our seats (the woman sitting next to me pretty much spat her wine over the balcony). Some lively Bollywood enthused dance. And my absolute favourite number was a beautiful performance that spoke to me as a reinterpretation of a silk veil dance. There were a few low points, like a leotarded Single Ladies style act that bored me witless. But all was forgiven by capping off with an ABBA sing and dance a long. An absolute highlight.
I left pleased that I had gone, because it certainly was a different show. But I felt like I could have seen something amazing had the acts been culled in half. Perhaps this needed to happen logistically to allow for costume changes (it is an insanely small cast of 5 and a diligent stage hand). But I think I could have left feeling blown away and I was irritated that this didn't happen. Much of this was perhaps not in the performances themselves but in their staging. A clever scene filler, with a heel lady walking entirely on glass bottles was barely visible and could have been more impressive. Similarly some of my favourite acts were relatively obscured by lighting. This is crucial when you are trying to see the facial expressions and cues from the performers - then they don't need to resort to the crude 'give us a cheer, hand behind the ear' (my ultimate peeve). I could see a number of these performances working in an intimate bar or club setting, where the audience is up close and personal. But any performer needs to be able to adapt to their environment. And simply some of the numbers didn't translate to a three tiered theatre.
Perhaps I'm slightly jaded after seeing a number of burlesque shows. But I also felt that there wasn't enough shocking acts for a show that proclaimed to be jawdropping and seductive. Mainly filled with leotards, only one or two numbers contained any nudity. And that's fine in and of itself, but I think my expectations were different.
I loved seeing a show that moved away from the MC- Act- MC- Act formula. And as my next project in Tassie involves this I certainly gleaned some good ideas here. But I think this event perhaps warranted some involvement of an MC. Certainly to warm the audience up and to get them involved and intertwined in the show. The Abba dance off at the end showed that there were people excited and rearing to do this. I could have seen this sort of thing working to the start of the night well.
I've rambled on a little. And perhaps it comes across negatively which is unfair as I certainly didn't have a bad perception coming out of the Theatre last night. And from a show that's gotten rave reviews from The Australian and the Age, who gives a shit what a twopenny burlesque gal from Hobart thinks anyway?? But there were certainly elements of Burlesque Caravan that I adored and others I loathed, as I feel is typical of any burlesque show. Perhaps some frustrations that I didn't get to share in jokes and humour that a different setting would allow, and frustrations that it wasn't as shocking or mindblowing as I'd heard. But the overall idea of a show that harks back to vaudeville and variety show times that gives a 21st century twist to them, is fantastic. And again I am thrilled to see it included in the Theatre Royal's program. It was certainly different, challenging at times, entertaining and frustrating. But I'd go back for a second taste. And I plan to get a seat closer to the front next time!
If you'd like a sneak peak click here:
