EastEnd Caberet: Sexual Tension
by EastEnd Cabaret
Sunday 8th February
The West Australian Spiegeltent

The sign of a good cabaret is the ability to transform the  strange and obscene into something hilarious and unexpectedly sexual. It elevates crassness into  jovial entertainment, translating shock into raucous fun while giving us all an arena for our dusty darker sides. At EastEnd Caberet: Sexual Tension, we squirmed in our seats at the overt prurience, we stifled laughs, but when a tall and leggy, feathered jumpsuit adorned woman clambered across the audience to lick an audience member’s bald head, we were given tacit permission to roar with unhindered laughter and let loose our desire for filthy fun.

The duo from the EastEnd was comprised of a tall and salacious Bernadette, looking like a giant muppet in her glittered and feathered jumpsuit, and Victor/Victoria, dressed as half a dapper gentleman and half a showgirl. It was a strange dynamic, but these two women nailed it. They inhabited their characters with such presence, skill and some kind of fierce deviance. Bernadette dominated the stage with her intoxicating demeanour and audience interaction. However, Victor/Victoria was my highlight, owning the sidekick role with subtlety and precision; she managed to make a creepy accordion playing third wheel seem so attractive. Each woman was brilliant alone, but their chemistry together blew the roof off the tent. They possessed a strange codependancy, a sweet more than platonic friendship; they were sinister and sexual, predacious and promiscuous.

It is not enough to be sassy and hilarious, you had better back it up with trenchant wit and great singing. These women delivered. Their lyrics were so intelligently crafted and their musicality was flawless.

EastEnd Cabaret: Sexual Tension runs until Tuesday February 17. Tickets available here.