Presented by Peaches ‘n’ Gin Burlesque
@ Nexus Cabaret, Lion Arts Theatre
SATURDAY 4 March (until March 11)
One of my creeds is to never, ever, ever turn down gin.
Not in a delicious moijto, nor in some tonic water (clearly to protect myself from malaria) or, it seems, when it comes to burlesque.
So when I took my little self down to the Nexus Cabaret at the Lion Arts Centre, I was once again prepared to indulge in my love of gin. And that I certainly did.
At The Movies with Peaches ’n’ Gin is a sweet cocktail of one part sultry burlesque one part hilarious vaudeville and a sugar crust of class.
Hosts with the most, the ever smooth Rowan Watts and the charming Cara Louise will take on you on a Margaret and David style tour of classic movies, both past and contemporary. But, you know, with burlesque and tassel scores as opposed to stars.
The company tackles movies of all sorts from the expected ilk of Marilyn Monroe films and the recent not-so-aptly-named Burlesque to the less expected likes of Harry Potter, Aladdin and Steven Shainberg’s Secretary.
Peaches ’n’ Gin is not new to the Adelaide Fringe scene, having built an impressive following since its establishment and playing a significant role in bring burlesque back to the Adelaide scene in recent years.
Showcasing acts throughout the year, Peaches ’n’ Gin are especially busy come Fringe time with new and curious audience members flocking to their performances.
And it’s no wonder!
Star and producer, Luna Eclipse, dazzles the audiences with her spicy, and sometimes silly, repertoire which leaves no one in doubt as to why she was Miss Tassle Twirl 2010.
Fellow burlesquer Sapphire Snow treats the audience to alluring and sensual performances while wielding a feathered fan like nobody’s business!
Together, their routines are cheeky, fun and sometimes downright hilarious!
One such case is the troupe’s take on the Harry Potter series, a personal highlight of Luna’s.
Being a Harry Potter fan herself (and who isn’t?), Luna says she wanted to “put three of the main characters together in an unexpected way, and to make sure the audience could never watch Harry Potter in the same way again!”.
Boy, do they succeed! (I should also add you’ll also never hear ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ the same way again but I’ll leave all that for you to figure out… ).
Another memorable moment is the luscious Strawberry Siren, a lady of many talents in the areas of aerial rings, contortion and hoop diving, who treats the audience to a jaw-dropping performance as Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Complete with audience participation, gentleman).
Speaking of audience participation – expect it! Even sitting in the back won’t save you, as one lucky gentleman from Texas found out during Snow’s gorgeous ‘Tea for Two’ act (again, I’ll leave that for you to think about…).
And that’s the fun of it; everyone is watching burlesque. No matter if you’re a seasoned connoisseur of the ever-popular art form or a nervous first-timer, a man, a women, or other – you won’t feel alone in the audience.
You’ll laugh. You’ll clap profusely (or howl and carry on as encouraged by the charismatic comperes). You’ll have a massive craving for lingerie shopping, ladies.
At The Movies with Peaches ’n’ Gin is sassy, flirty with light-hearted silliness which culminates in a finale not to be missed!
So that’ll be five tassles from me, David.
