By Peter Maddern
Sometimes Christmas and New Year cheer needs to break back from the beach and take in some fully licensed hi-jinx. The Festival Centre’s Club Swizzle is one such excellent option – two hours of good humour, singing, dancing and strength.
Led by the diminutive Murray Hill (from New York, not our former MLC), Club Swizzle invites patrons prior to kick off to mingle around the centre bar with the performers before a fancy pants reordering of chairs, tables and cloths by the Swizzle Boys transforms an intimate Space bar into a performance stage. From there, the fun really kicks in.
Ali McGregor delivers the sultry, Dandy Wellington the quick steps, Valerie Murzak strength and Laurie Hagen the strange – two of the more bizarre acts I have ever seen, burlesque without the pasties and seemingly much point – but what’s it matter?
Throughout Hill keeps the buzz going, at one stage drawing in a couple of audience members for a contest while Mikey and the Nightcaps keep pounding out the beats and the wham bam accompaniment to Hill’s lesser jokes.
However, the star billing belongs to the aforementioned Swizzle Boys who combine acrobatics, drink serving and, for a finale, some shirtless sex appeal in a captivating display.
In truth, there isn’t much that is exceptional about the performers – perhaps the La Soiree team behind this production have worked out that isn’t always needed to pulsate their audience – but for great fun Club Swizzle is the place to be. But hurry, this pop-up bar ends on January 17th.
Kryztoff Rating 4K
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