Fringe 2016 – Burlesque Idol – Nexus Arts Theatre – 4K

It’s not often you’ll see a burlesque Dr Who performance – or for that matter a feather dance. But Burlesque Idol brought us all this and much more.

Technically the performance was excellent – each participant had to apply and be accepted into the Adelaide heat. The audience was given a phenomenal show with laughs, screams and cheers regularly emanating from the crowd. The dancing and musical timing was fantastic; the dancing owned the stage and carried a confident energy with them throughout their performances. The lynch pin of the performance was the outfits, vibrant, sequinned and boisterous. Even the few minor wardrobe malfunctions were carried off with style and finesse.

The audience got several opportunities to be involved, apart from yelling, clapping and cheering the performers on. The best dressed members of the audience were invited on stage and asked to dance for a prize. Had I not known one of them personally, I would have assumed they were all plants as their dancing was almost as good as the performers!

Another highlight was a reimagining of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Zombie burlesque is not something you see very often, but after seeing that performance it is hard to imagine why it is not more popular. A gentle reminder that Burlesque started as a parody like performance intended to poke fun at more earnest areas of society.

Overall a particularly entertaining evening and one for a good cause – raising funds for Burlesque Idol across Australia. The winning performer will be sent to Canberra to compete in the national competition – well deserved after her energetic and talented performance. A fun show with a huge amount of energy and crowd support definitely worth viewing at next years Fringe and worth checking out in Canberra.

 

 

 

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