Presented by Strut & Fret
@ The Idolize Spiegeltent, Garden of Unearthly Delights
WEDNESDAY 22 Feb 2012 (until March 18)
When feathered friends become ‘more than friends’…
This gloriously exotic cabaret is far from the typical image we have in our heads of love birds – young tweeny-bopper so-and-so’s that frolick about on the beach and have ‘summer loves’. No, LoveBirds is a dramatic tale of exotic birds filled with intense passion for love, lust and sex, which we can all relate to. Exiled to the darkness by the ‘real world’, the birds come to play for one night only. We, the audience, are privy to one night of pleasure; one night to be welcomed into their world, to fall in love.
Let me tell you, you will do far more than fall in love. Excuse the cliche, but this show will literally make you laugh until you fall off your chair (I did), cry for the pain of these sorrow-filled creatures, and gasp with fright at their incredible facial expressions (and other body parts!).
Walking into the tent, you are filled with a sense of nostalgia, as if you have stepped straight out of the 1920’s. From the velvet tent ceiling, to the four-piece jazz band complete with top-hats and feathers in hair, you are completely transported into another world. The stage is simple – painted black, and adorned only with sporadic bunches of green foliage. But the simplicity lingers for only a moment…
The lights are dimmed…the music stops…builds…and with a swirling of confetti in the air, the audience is suddenly whisked away into a whirlwind of sequins, feathers, gems, jewels, and glitter, glitter glitter! You are faced with four gorgeous birds (not the kind on America’s Next Top Model). You cannot take your eyes away from the utterly exquisite costumes. I know what you’re thinking, she just cranked out the word ‘exquisite’, that’s a bit much isn’t it? Let me tell you, it is the only word in the dictionary that can begin to describe these delightful creatures.
Every inch of the four cabaret artists is covered in fabrics of different textures and colours – colours I didn’t even know existed. It’s as if a rainbow had sneezed in the room and this were the result. And shiny! Talk about shiny! We’re talking blue glitter lips and sparkly green moustaches, eyelids covered in diamonds, and sequins where you never thought sequins could go! Green peacock feathers and fluffy pink feather boas seem to pop out of every orifice (you don’t even want to know where I saw feathers), the birds using them to tease the audience throughout the show.
Remove your gaze from the incredible disguises for just a moment, and you are instantly drawn to the beautiful voices of the LoveBirds. Their melodies echo throughout the tent, with a selection of tunes lamenting on their plight to find love, and keep it too.
Who said you couldn’t have nudity, dirty talk and a good take-home message all in the one show. This cabaret knocks that theory well out of the water, with pillow talk mixed with deep and meaningful messages about love – love lost, found, wanted or unwanted, threesomes, ex-lovers, loneliness…you name it! No matter where your love life is at (or not at), you’re sure to relate to one of the birds, and their musings on one of life’s great mysteries – L.O.V.E. Love.
Direct from it’s premier at Melbourne’s International Arts Festival, the show is the brainchild of the award-winning singer, dancer and cabaret artist Simone Page Jones. “I am just completely obsessed with love and extravagance,” she says. “The idea of the show is that it removes people from their daily grind.” Mission accomplished Simone. You passed, with flying colours, literally.
A mixture of song, dance and poetic speech, the show is also very interactive, the birds not afraid to peck, pash or throw a bit of leg onto the audience. But while their actions may be crazy and completely ‘in the moment’, their messages will stay with you long after the show. Here’s a taste – “What is love? Sometimes it doesn’t dot the “i” in fairytale.” Touche LoveBirds. Touche.
