Category: Whats On

Circus, Review, Whats On

Cirque Du Soleil Presents KOOZA

An experience to treasure

By Myron My

Trying to put into words what watching Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza (inspired by the Sanskrit word “koza”, meaning “box” or “treasure”) is not the easiest thing when you spend the majority of the show absolutely speechless and stunned with the skills and performances of its hugely talented cast. Returning to Melbourne with this brand new show, Cirque Du Soleil dazzles once again as Kooza tells the story of The Innocent as he is transported into a world of surprises in a kingdom inhabited by strange and peculiar people.

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The night is a non-stop run of entertainment and wonderment, which includes Mongolian contortionists Sunderiya Jargalsaikhan and Ninjin Altankhuyag twisting their bodies in ways and at speeds you’ve never seen before that would put The Exorcist to shame. Other memorable performances include an intense double high wire act, a romantic unicycle duo and a chair-balancing act that reaches some amazing heights.

However, the award for the most heart-stopping moment I have had when watching a live show would have to go to Jimmy Ibarra and Ronald Solisand with their 700kg Wheel of Death routine. Powered solely by the two Colombians, the huge wheel is rotated and counter-rotated at incredible speeds with leaps, jumps and skips that had everyone on the edge of their seats. A slight stumble from one of the performers sent fear rippling through the audience, reminding us that we are seeing high-risk acts where precision timing is key, with no room for even the slightest of errors.

Bandleader Carl Murr ensures the music is pulsing throughout the show with a fusion of jazz, funk and Bollywood beats, which includes a brilliant drum solo by Australian musician Paul Butler, making his official premiere with Kooza.

There are over 175 costumes on display during the show and designer Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt ensures that each one gorgeously builds on the spectacular world created by Stephane Roy‘s set design. The dazzling main set piece – the towering Bataclan – is inspired by Hindu culture, Pakistani buses and Indian jewellery, and exudes an aura of mystery and excitement. While taking in all these visual elements, you too, like The Innocent, have been transported into this extraordinary world.

The journey of self discovery for The Innocent ends the same way as it started, but there is a sense of confidence and strength in him now, and in some ways, this reaches out to the audience too. After having seen the spectacular acts in Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza, you can’t help but leave the big top tent feeling like anything is possible.

Venue: Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington, 3031
Season: Melbourne season until 26 March | Tue – Fri  8pm, Sat 4:30pm and 8pm, Sun 7.30pm, Sun 1:30pm and 5pm
Perth season opens on 13 April
Tickets: From $60
Bookings and further information: Cirque Du Soleil

Image by Matt Beard with costumes by Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt ©2012 Cirque du Soleil

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Midsumma Festival 2017: THE HAPPY PRINCE

Wilde’s famous fairytale beautifully reinvented

By Myron My

Oscar Wilde‘s short story, The Happy Prince, tells the tale of a golden statue of a prince that overlooks a city. Along with a flying swallow that he encounters, the Happy Prince sacrifices itself in vain in order to help the people who are suffering from poverty. As part of Midsumma Festival, queer theatre company Little Ones Theatre have taken Wilde’s tale and adapted it through a queer lens. The contemporary homo-erotic story now explores the desperation and futility that two women experience in order to remain with the one they love.

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Dressed in a gold-sequinned dress with gold nail-polish and a smear of gold face-paint, Janine Watson wondrously captures the innocence (and ignorance) of the Happy Prince. As the sacrifices become bigger, her determination becomes more evident in bringing happiness and good to the people, regardless of how fleeting or thankful the act might be.

Catherine Davies brings a poignant level of cynicism to the Swallow but also a passion and yearning for a connection. With her hair quiffed up, wearing rollerskates and chewing gum, she is reminiscent of a defiant and impatient youth constantly on the go. The passion between the two performers is palpable from the very first moment they share the stage together and neither Watson or Davies let go of that for the entire show.

This short story doesn’t offer much in terms of length and plot development, whereupon director Stephen Nicolazzo has created erotically charged and deeply tender moments of no dialogue between the Happy Prince and the swallow, exploring their emotional state of mind on a deeper level. There is a sense of time standing still during the show and we are given the opportunity to take in everything that is being said and everything that is being performed without being rushed.

Katie Sfetkidis‘ intelligent combination of cold and warm lighting design throughout the show highlights the moments of passion and love and the ultimate demise of said love as does the sleek clean set design by Eugyeene Teh. The grey material that runs along the wall and floor of the stage allows the gold and sparkle of the Happy Prince’s costume to constantly attract our attention and admiration.

The Happy Prince is the poetically tragic tale of a love that cannot be. Through its queer retelling, Little Ones Theatre have expertly crafted a powerfully affecting and layered story of deep affection and sacrifice that will linger in your mind long after the final scene.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday St, Carlton
Season: until 29 January | Wed 6.30pm, Thu – Sat 7.30pm, Sun 4pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: Midsumma Festival

Image by Pia Johnson

Theatre, Whats On

Company 13 Presents MACDETH

Clever Shakespeare for cunning kids

By Rebecca Waese

Company 13’s Macdeth at the Arts Centre Melbourne is a cracking updated kid-friendly classic with a keen awareness of physical comedy and a respect for the tastiest morsels of Shakespeare’s prose that fire up the formative neurons of young brains. Director James Pratt and a strong core company of four accomplished actors have devised a high-intensity, playful and powerful tale of how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth grow greedy enough to kill King Duncan and a few other innocent characters who get in the way of Macbeth and his throne.

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King Duncan (John Forman) is a lovable buffoon and makes deliciously embarrassing errors such as reading his doctor’s note about his bottom cream instead of his royal proclamation. Aurora Kurth is excellent as Banquo, Macbeth’s fit and hearty best friend, and in her role as a servant who constantly interrupts key soliloquies and leaves the audience quite desperate to hear the words Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are trying so hard to say. What a terrific device this turns out to be to encourage the audience to tune in to the most memorable speeches.

Just gross enough to make the kids squeal, the play brings the violent tale to life with clowning prowess, false teeth falling in the cauldron and fake blood explosions of silly string spewing all over the stage. There are many levels, however, to the production. It isn’t all fart jokes and echo gags although these are done exceptionally well. Music underscores the action from bass-playing assassins to the eerie sound of a whirly tube as the witches predict the future. The sparse set is innovative and versatile with a vertical bed for the Macbeths and a backdrop of illuminated stars. Duncan’s murder is executed with cold-blooded deliberation after the four actors march, trance-like, with disharmonic vocals under red lights toward the scene of the crime. Macbeth, brilliantly played by Christian Bagin, with a goofy German accent and the simple desire to please his wife and be adored by all, asks, “What have we done?” and brings a startling moment of recognition to his murderous actions. Lady Macbeth, played convincingly by Fiona Roake, descends from clarity and purpose into madness. Comedy is left behind, briefly, as the young audience contemplates the consequences of ambition and greed.

Not dumbed down by any means but full of gags and self-reflective mayhem, Macdeth bridges a gap for kids who might glaze over under reams of iambic pentameter but respond to the passion, humour and intelligent complexities Shakespeare uncovers in human nature. This is a great first taste of Shakespeare and an enjoyable version for the initiated. Macdeth is ‘full of sound and fury’ but it signifies far more than nothing; it is a fine feat and well worth seeing.

Recommended for ages 8+.

Macdeth 
Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season: 19 – 21 January 2017 (11.00am & 2.00pm)
Information and Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

Rebecca Waese is a Lecturer in Creative Arts and English at La Trobe University.

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Out Cast Theatre Presents DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMEN (BUT REALLY JUST A COUPLE OF ***TS)

Sordid, outrageous, and unashamedly funny

By Myron My

The title says it all really. Presented by Out Cast Theatre for a limited return season, Distinguished Gentlemen (But Really Just A Couple of ***ts) is a riotous look at two dirty old Regency gentlemen who lust after a mysterious young stranger. The two scheme their way to not only one-up each other, but also to ensnare the stranger into their bedroom, however they’re not the only ones with a trick or two up their… sleeve.

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Steven Dawson and Wayne Pearn as Sir George Barrington and Lord Henry Burridge are clearly having a lot of fun with their characters, who are well established with enough backstory and motivation to make them satisfying and almost believable, apart from the sheer absurdity of the story. Tosh Greenslade as Simon Latimer, the attractive young man, rounds out the trio and does well in maintaining Simon as the “straight” role and ensuring the narrative pushes forward. While I can see how a sense of mystery to his character is required, a few hints and teases here and there might have allowed him to be as well fleshed out a character as Sir Barrington and Lord Burridge were.

Dawson also serves as writer and director of Distinguished Gentlemen and while keeping with the language of the period, manages to squeeze in more sexual innuendos and puns than you could poke a stick at. The jokes might be lewd and the humour crude, but they are entertaining and for the most part, unexpected and refreshing. The story is a little rough around the edges and could do with some – er – tightening, but again, its outrageousness and salaciousness are what make this farcical piece of theatre a delight to watch as the three men go head-to-head (so to speak) to get what they desire.

At its core Distinguished Gentlemen (But Really Just A Couple of ***ts) is a sordid tale about power, lust and revenge but with a dollop of buffoonery and plenty of buggery. These distinguished gentlemen may be a couple of ***ts, but they are a couple of funny ***ts in a show that will definitely have you feeling a little hot under the collar – from laugher.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Until 15 January | 8.30pm 
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc 
Bookings: The Butterfly Club

Dance, Review, Whats On

Dance Partner Productions Presents BURN THE FLOOR

Exhilarating

By Leeor Adar

Burn the Floor is so hot you are mesmerised by the sweat and power of the dancers until the very last number.

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Producer Harley Medcalf with ballroom veterans Peta Roby and Jason Gilkison, as director and choreographers respectively, have revitalised ballroom dance in a spectacular splash of contemporary style, colour and energy. I’ve had the privilege of viewing a number of dance companies, but this one really hit the ground in a way that brought audiences to their feet for multiple standing ovations. Decades into the Burn the Floor concept, this production continues to overwhelm and excite audiences worldwide.

You can expect high-calibre dancers from every corner of the globe bringing excellent technique in unique, sexy and high-energy scenarios.

We start in an eighteenth-century ballroom that is ferociously interrupted by one of the most high-energy Goth-glam numbers I could ever envisage. Costume designers Bret Hooper and Sharon Brown turned this PVC masterpiece into a significant shift in tone for the show. Nancy Xu wowed as she shifted her body fluidly in a structured skirt that could easily be mistaken for a hindrance.

Right from the get-go this production is breaking away from the chains of the past and using the very same chains to reconstruct and astonish its audience. It’s daring and racy, and as I watch with surprise my middle-aged mother grin with delight, I know we’re all in for a good night.

The musical numbers in Act One are an ode to the classics in music and feel. We visit the Latin Quarter and later take a trip to the world of swing. These swing numbers featuring iconic music such as ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’, and Elvis-era inspired dance moves, are where the male dancers really shine – and they clearly love every minute. Italy’s Gustavo Viglio captivated in the swing numbers, but the male dancers overall were really outstanding here.

Act Two rocketed us into the world of Carmen. The classic story of forbidden desire played out in a darkly erotic setting – a ballroom variation of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ played by the band made up of percussionist Alysa Portelli, and guitarists Andrew Marunowski and Jose Madrid led the dancers. The loud and excitable move to “Schools Out” saw the troupe don school uniform, and the acrobatic style and energy of our performers really shone. A standout, Jemma Armstrong, furiously played the cat-and-mouse games of the classroom. Overall, the dancers really delivered such volumes of energy I was breathless merely by watching. This breathlessness continued up until the final numbers, including crowd pleaser, ‘Ballroom Blitz’, at which point the audience was clapping and cheering.

Throughout Act Two were performances by pairings. Whilst some of these were fluid and breathtaking – namely the performance of ‘Angels’, where England’s Lauren Oakley’s physicality was nothing short of exquisite – I felt many of the performances as segments lacked flow.

The Acts were also interspersed with live musical performances by the Italian Mikee Introna and Australian Sharnielle Hartley. Introna brought excellent comic relief at the beginning and close of the show, and his voice overall was impressive. Hartley’s performance was enthusiastic, but the ballads performed without the dance detracted from the intensity and sophistication of the dancers’ work.

Burn the Floor is nonetheless a dynamic crowd-pleaser, and you can catch this relentlessly exciting production until Sunday 15 January at the State Theatre: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2017/dance/burn-the-floor

Cabaret, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Clock and Spiel Productions Presents THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

Better the devil you know

By Philip Edwards

C.S.Lewis is well known today for his series of seven novels for children Chronicles of Narnia, especially since some of the books have been made into very successful movies. But before that. he came to fame with his classic satirical masterpiece The Screwtape Letters, first published in February 1942.

the-screwtape-letters

Hailey McQueen (director, producer and writer) has brilliantly adapted the “Letters” to the stage in what is a most entertaining and engaging production. As a longtime lover of all of C.S.Lewis’ works, I was both greatly looking forward to this play and wondering how a series of letters could be made into a full-scale production. I was not disappointed. McQueen has not only presented the wonderful insights into human nature that Lewis is famous for, but she has managed to inject humour and fun into what could have been rather dry if handled differently. From the very outset the audience was captivated and enthusiastic.

The show opens with the demon Screwtape (Yannick Lawry) assisted by Toadpipe a lesser devil (George Zhao), addressing a gathering of junior tempters in Hell at the annual dinner of the Tempter’s Training College for Young Devils. This is part of a speech taken from “Screwtape Proposes a Toast”, Lewis’ 1959 sequel to the Letters which first appeared as an essay in the Saturday Evening Post.This was a clever move by McQueen as it serves to introduce the role of Screwtape as a master Tempter whose job is to guide his nephew, Wormwood, in his task of tempting a young man who is in danger of becoming a Christian.

From then on Screwtape dictates letters, addressed to Wormwood, via Toadpipe which are then sent by some fiendish mailing system (wonderful sound and lighting effects), whereupon a reply is received which prompts another letter. The process appears quite simple, but the added humorous antics of the somewhat dimwitted Toadpipe ensure that there is never a dull moment.

Lawry and Zhao are the only actors on stage, and they are both there for the entire 80-90 minutes of the performance without a break. Lawry delivers the text of the letters with great skill and fluency. His performance is flawless and I was awed by the dedication that was required to memorise practically the whole book.  Occasionally Screwtape allows Toadpipe (Zhao) to present a section of his letter to Wormwood, sometimes as a blackboard lecture,which has the whole audience laughing at full volume. Screwtape’s frustration with Toadpipe and his antics results in some quite violent treatment of the poor creature which are staged beautifully (at one point Toadpipe’s head is jammed in a stool) and provide a dynamic relief to the dictation phases of the presentation.  Toadpipe is clearly bored by his miserable existence and does a variety of crazy stunts to break the monotony of his life of servitude. Zhao excels in this role and is a delight to the whole audience.

The theatre was packed with people of all ages from twenty-something to eighty-something and we were completely engaged the whole time.   The whole production team is to be congratulated on a memorable and captivating show that has brought the brilliant wit and insights of C.S.Lewis to the stage and to even greater accessibility for a modern generation.

The music, sound and light effects when each letter is delivered are wonderful.  Adam Jones (music and sound design) and Ben Anshaw (lighting design) are to be commended, for what they did fitted the mood perfectly.  I particularly liked the little tune that tied the production together: it had the right balance of quirkiness and lightheartedness that kept the show from being a heavy “lecture”-type of production that could easily have occurred when presenting a series of letters.

If I have any complaint it would be that the season is not long enough.  I recommend that you do all that you can to get to see it before it ends this weekend.  Forget the Christmas shopping.  This is more important.

(If you do miss it in Melbourne it is moving to Canberra next week.  That’s not too far to drive!)

The Screwtape Letters is now on at The Loft Theatre, Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran until Saturday 17th December 2016.  Bookings: Ph. 03 8290 7000.  More information at: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Cabaret, Circus, Performances, Whats On

Arts Centre Melbourne Presents BRIEFS

In short? – revealing in all the right ways…

By Myron My

Having seen Briefs last year in an upstairs room of the Athenaeum, I was more than eager to see them again for their short return Melbourne season. The six talented performers covering (or uncovering) burlesque, circus, drag and everything else in between, were a highlight of my theatre experiences last year and after seeing their show on Tuesday night, remains a highlight for this year as well.

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Led by the charismatic and engaging bearded lady Shivannah (alter ego of ringmaster Fez Fa’anana), the performances are nothing short of mesmerizing, but also laugh-out-loud hilarious and with plenty of skin on display – it is called Briefs for a reason, after all.

While some acts are the same as last year (which is to be expected for a return season), they are still incredibly entertaining to watch. With no lulls throughout, it is extremely difficult to choose a favourite performance , however Thomas Worrell‘s erotically-charged silks routine to Jarryd James’ “Do You Remember”, Evil Hate Monkey‘s uproarious banana skits, and the breathtaking finale by Captain Kidd (Mark Winmill) that just needs to be seen again and again, stick firmly in mind. The group acts also bring huge energy into the room, including a well-choreographed performance to Crooker’s “Royal T” showcasing the talents of drag queen (and brilliant costume designer for Briefs) Dallas Dellaforce, along with Shivannah, Worrell and Captain Kidd.

As Shivannah explains at one point, Briefs is a little bit political, a little bit idiotic and a little bit disco but it is also a celebration of being different and embracing that diversity. The entire show raises questions as to what masculinity and femininity mean and can mean, and creates an environment that is very much a joyous blurring of gender and sex.

It’s been nine years since Briefs came together and if this return season is anything to go by, this artist-driven collective is going from strength to strength. With a thumping soundtrack, slick production values and inventive acts, you had better book your tickets sooner rather than later because Briefs is only on for a brief time.

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne
Season: until 18 December | 7:30pm, Fri – Sat additional show at 10.30pm
Tickets: $65 Premium | $60 A Reserve
Bookings: Arts Centre Melbourne

Cabaret, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Christopher Samuel Carroll in EARLY GRAVE, FASHIONABLY LATE

Erudite, eloquent and deliciously fast and funny

By Joana Simmons

 Wax your moustaches and tighten your bowties, the dandiest and most daring storyteller has made his way across shores, through jungles and fantastical places to grace The Butterfly Club for one week only. Early Grave, Fashionably Late is a rollicking, rousing, intellectual one-man show set in the Victorian era – a time of tweed and all things twee. Writer-performer Christopher Samuel Carroll is Bennet Cooper Sullivan; fearless explorer, raconteur a charming gentleman, a reluctant detective. He creates a wondrous world with the most colorfully-crafted language I have heard in a while: it’s almost word-porn.

Early Grave Fashionably Late.jpg

Opening with an epic adventure soundtrack and an equally epic moustache, Carroll’s experience as a physical performer is clearly defined. The wordy beginning is not for the slow-witted, so make sure you are on the ball and ready to roll with it as the words drip off his tongue like the smoothest cognac. The ever-so-charming Bennet Cooper Sullivan passes his business card to the ladies in the audience and tells us he is a man of the world, having been to lost civilizations and secret passages, and wound up in Dublin, 1889, where our story takes place. We are darted from word to world, memory to moment, guided by Carroll’s energetic and expressive storytelling and physicality. The plot thickens, amusing asides and witty one-liners leave us in laughter and keep us on the edge of our seats. Without giving too much away, there is blackmail, adultery, murder, lions, cigars and a hilariously mimed penny-farthing chase. Carroll’s finesse is like I’ve never seen and this show is truly classy comedy. Tongue-in-cheek moments abound, but it is so refreshing to see that the art form of wit and fabulous writing is still alive.

It takes a lot of skill to turn a bare stage into a wonderful world and hold an audience’s attention for just less than an hour. The lighting did a wonderful job in transporting us into dens, parks and underwater. I think sound could have taken the show to another dimension – Carroll’s language and physicality did a lot, but sounds like wind in the trees or the hustle of a Dublin cock-fight could make it a full sensory experience. Similarly, Bennet Cooper Sullivan looked delightfully dapper in a three-piece tweed suit; though some more finery such as pocket watch, a real journal instead of a mimed one and perhaps some more ‘things’ onstage, could help give the look of the show extra polish: plus, a handkerchief wouldn’t have gone astray on a scorching Tuesday like the one upon which the show opened.

I am astonished by the amount of work that Carroll has invested to give the characters so much depth and deliver such a wordy script at such a high intensity and maintained throughout the show. I do feel there could have been more time for pauses and breath however, for us the audience to digest (as most monologues are certainly meaty) and for Carroll to give more dynamic and variety in his delivery. That being said, the story structure itself was flawless.

Any fans of Oscar Wilde, Sherlock Holmes, or even Stephen Fry will delight and gush at this show. Writers, readers and story-believers: those who are sick of the song-story-song-story-joke-song-story one-person shows must get along to this fresh and fascinating creation spit-spot. There’s a show in Canberra on Dec 20th, and Early Grave, Fashionably Late on in Melbourne till Saturday. Book now.

Dates: 13 – 17 December

Time: 8:30pm

Cost: $25-32

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

The Butterfly Club Presents THE ROAD TO STOCKHOLM

Riotous funny Euro-revision

By Narelle Wood

It is on my bucket list to go to Eurovision just once in my life. Until that happens, I’m very much content to see satirised cabaret versions, especially if they are the quality of The Road to Stockholm.

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This show has all the drama, glitz and glamour that Eurovision is known for, with some added bonuses such as some international intrigue, and some subtle, at least in comparison to the dance moves, political and social commentary. Boris (Matthew Hadgraft) is a Russian singer, recently separated from his very popular boy-band and hell-bent on becoming an international superstar. Lenka (Jessica Papst) is a Ukrainian YouTube star with a passion for Roxette, and Boris. Boris is so naïve, trusting and overconfident that it’s an endearing recipe for disaster. And Lenka’s desperation for everyone to like her makes her the perfect target for heartbreak. With the help of Boris’s manager, her hairdresser and Lenka’s best friend, this unlikely duo are set to become the first ever bi-country entrants into Eurovision.

There is so much to love about this show. The soundtrack is tragically fantastic with a number of Roxette songs, and featuring the likes of Madonna, Gina G, and a number of originals all sung with ‘authentic’ Russian and Ukrainian accents. Behind all the over choreographed and over danced dance moves, is a spy backstory and a disgruntled child performer out for revenge by taking advantage of Russian/Ukranian relationships, Russian prejudices and Eurovision fans. The result is a high body count and a Eurovision farce. The high drama works and both Hadgraft and Papst are brilliant. The humour is outrageous and self-deprecating and it’s full of great one-liners that are laugh-out-loud funny. While it is based on Eurovision, it doesn’t rely on it so you don’t need to be au fait with Eurovision to find this absurd storyline amusing. That being said, if you were playing the Eurovision drinking game during the show, you’d be very close to having your stomach pumped; the only things missing were wind machines and fire-works.

The Road to Stockholm is a genuinely good time; I laughed the whole way through. Whether you’re a Eurovision neophyte or dedicated fan, or even if you’re interested in what a sassy Ukrainian accent might sound like, this is definitely worth checking out. 

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Until 11th December 7pm, Friday 6pm

Tickets: Full $32| Conc $28

Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com/show/the-road-to-stockholm

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

Emma Maye in GRUMBLE: SEX CLOWN SAVES THE WORLD

Full frontal at the forefront

By Narelle Wood

Grumble: Sex Clown Saves the World seemed like an intriguing premise for a show; the title alone peaked my curiosity. Unfortunately what unfolded over the next hour did not hold any where near the same appeal for me as the name.

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Emma Maye emerged on stage as Betty Grumble, made up to look more like a stereotypical drag queen than clown. This was the most thought-provoking it got, as I began to wonder exactly what constitutes a clown. The show consisted of a lot of shimming, slapping and shaking along with some explicit moves and some very full and very nude, full frontal nudity. To say that Maye left it all on the stage is an understatement. While the nudity might be considered part of an act that identifies itself as feminist, I thought the sexual antics were there for shock value rather than necessarily trying to make a statement, or at the very least a coherent statement. There were a number of political messages thrown out to the audience, including the evils of reality t.v. stars, mining magnates and of course the patriarchy. There certainly was no fresh perspective being offered.

For me, the combination of sex-clowning and world-saving didn’t work. The idea of sex clowning seemed to be nothing more than an excuse to turn the cabaret into adult entertainment. There was also very little saving of the world. There was a stereotypical and earnest message at the end that one person can make a difference, oh, and don’t forget to buy the merchandise on your way out.

To be fair, even though I really didn’t like this show, I seemed to be in the minority. There were some very good tone shifts and Maye certainly captivated her audience; a much younger and more alternative crowd than I represent. Maye can clearly sing but mostly favoured miming instead. She can also clearly dance, but for me naked high kicks are something I’m okay with only seeing once in my life. And I think that is another problem I have with the show; the 18+ rating in no way indicates how graphic this show is, and that feels dishonest.

I left feeling confused about the show’s purpose, a show that was only seemingly held together by the very annoying persona of Betty Grumble. In short, I won’t be rushing back, but if you fit the demographic and appreciate the exploration into disjunctive, graphic theatre then this may be, not necessarily entertaining, but an interesting adventure.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Until Sunday 11th, 8.30pm

Tickets: Full $32| Conc $28

Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com/show/grumble-sex-clown-saves-the-world