What do you think about strippers? Do you think they’re trashy no-hopers who are only taking their clothes off to support their bastard children? Regardless of your answer, this show will both enlighten and entertain you. Talented Hannah Williams is the writer, producer and only performer in this impressive cabaret that reveals the real people behind stripper costumes and six-inch heels.

Likening strip clubs to Neverland, Mercedes (Hannah Williams) takes us on a backstage journey into the people who work there. With stories like learning to pee so you don’t spoil your fake tan and what happens when you burn the hair off a client’s chest – it is a necessary reminder that unlike Peter Pan, strippers live in the real world too. About friendship, confidence and the “journey to self acceptance,” the show is loud, in-your-face and unlikely to be forgotten.

With a combination of song, dialogue and dance, this solo performance is varied and lively with a lot of hilarity thrown into the mix. Williams delivers brilliantly believable characters and her impersonations are comically realistic. Not only playing Mercedes, she shares the personalities of stage girls Bok Choy, Diamond, Roberta and Bambi and the logic behind choosing stage names, their themes and what tricks to perform.

Perhaps the only downfall to an otherwise engaging performance was the dismal support provided by stage crew. At one point Williams was forced to instruct her sound technicians to turn down the music – at another waited for a full minute until they eventually got the music playing. Recovering well from such amateur distractions, Williams delivered a solid performance transitioning well between each scene and incorporating the audience into her act.

Unlikely to be girlfriends because they are only “the fantasy” of any potential boyfriend, strippers face problems most of us would never have thought about. This cabaret sheds light on these problems and deconstructs the barrier created by stages, poles and the exchanging of cash. With heart wrenching honesty it is a chuckle-inducing in-your-face reminder that the girls who work as strippers are exactly like the rest of us.